Frogs of Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

Counter intuitive as it seems mid summer is the time to observe an astounding number of frogs, at least in one particular area of the country. The Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge outside of Salem, Oregon is for most of the year a marshy wetland overflowing with water. Our annual hot and dry Northwest summers, however, shrink this down to an alarming degree. But there is a distinct advantage to this dryness (for us). The refuge is home to a gigantic population of beautiful red legged frogs. The frogs are visible during the wet season of course, but the diminishing marshes of summer concentrate these amphibians to an amazing degree. Even with temperatures in the upper nineties I was able to see and photograph thousands of them. In fact, it was actually easier than in wetter times as the excessive heat seemed to wear the little guys down somewhat. As you can see from the photo above, though, there are definite disadvantages for them.