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Posted by mike z on April 10, 2003 at 11:51:12:
In Reply to: Toads? posted by joshbrees on April 09, 2003 at 17:31:11:
Green frogs and juvinile bull frogs are very plentiful in my area and easy to find. In two or three rainy nights I can collect and freeze enough for the whole season.
I often pick up fresh dead ones off the road, but have no problem taking a reasonable number of the above mentioned species. I'm well aware of the world wide decline of certain species of amphibians [have had this discussion here before], but am very confident that removing green frogs and bull frogs does no harm and may be slightly benificial. My reasoning is as follows:
Both green and bull frogs can and do breed in any semi-permenant body of water. They do not require sensitive and threatened vernal pools. They can and do breed in permenant man made ponds even if they contain fish. In my area [suburban Massachusetts] virtually every single new housing development has at least one or more "landscape" ponds which double as run off catch basins. Typically these are permenant and end up stocked with some type of fish. Also, made up of run off from yards and streets, water quality is not great. These ponds can not be used as breeding pools for the native wood frogs or american toads and are usually avoided by grey tree frogs and spring peepers as well. In contrast, green frogs and bull frogs thrive in such habitat and their number explode.
In addition, both green and bull frogs are large and agressive preditors which gladley feed on the young of less abundant species.
