Hop to It!

We are now in the 'getting warmer' stage of the year, having moved out of our rainy season, sadly, and our 'green' areas have a decidedly brown tinge to them. We also have to save as much water as we can, so our gardens are beginning to take strain. And the poor birds are running out of green trees!!

A sparrow on our wire tree!! (Pic thanks to Isabel)

So, believe me when I say that we have no puddles lying around, and our nearest stretch of water is very very salty!


Which brings us to a conundrum.........where did this fellow below come from??

Our toad. (Pic thanks to Rob)

Rob found him on the veranda yesterday. And for once, we can't blame Basil for his arrival!Rob thought it was a stone, until the 'stone' got up on all four legs and began to walk! It ended up under the braai area where it was when I came home.

In the years that we have been here, we have seen one tiny frog that was sitting on the edge of our 'old' fish pond, the half wine barrel. Goodness knows where it came from and where it went, but 'went' it did!!

I found a toad a few years ago when I idly squirted water down a mole hole. There was a movement and a bit of a struggle, a few bubbles and then out popped a toad! And we also saw a Leopard Toad when we were camping near Montagu a few years ago.

A Leopard Toad (I think!!)

So, we did some 'googling' and came up with photos that didn't look much like our toad, until I read a description of the 'Karoo Toad'.

The Karoo toad mainly inhabits the summer rainfall region but its habitat also enters the winter rainfall region. It is well adapted to survive in arid areas and occurs in a variety of habitats ranging from flat, open sandy areas to rocky mountainous areas in the Nama-Karoo, Succulent Karoo, Fynbos, Thicket and Grassland biomes. Breeding occurs in a variety of permanent or temporary water bodies such as streams, rivers, dams, pans, bogs, water holes and rain pools.The eye (which is often greenish) has a horizontally elliptical pupil. The legs are longer than the body length. There are no hard ridges on the heel of the hindfoot, nor discs on the toes and fingers, nor are the toes fringed with webbing. The tarsal fold is well developed. Generally, the upper body surface is either uniformly light brown or brown with distinctive dark blotches, and these blotches merge in some populations.The Karoo toad usually runs or walks but can hop for short distances. (Thanks to SCARCE)

After Rob had taken some photos of it, it walked away and settled for the night under the braai. He declined my request to pick it up and examine it closely! Even when I asked him to describe the tarsal fold and the toe webbing!

Definitely a green eye! (Pic thanks to Rob)

This morning, it was gone! And that is the mystery here, without any water at all, how will it survive? And where is it now?

Rob sent a photo to somebody at Stellenbosch University, so we may find out exactly what it is.

Until then, 'Hopalong' is welcome to stay as long as he likes! Wherever he may be!

And, if I see it again I may just kiss it!

Watch this space!!