My Love for Amphibians

I have always liked amphibians since going grocery shopping with my grandmother when I was 7 years old. Holding hands we would walk into the store and pass by a square upright glass vending box with little treasures encased in plastic capsules like bouncy balls, shiny plastic jewelry and bumpy and speckled rubber frogs. By putting a dime into the slot and turning a crank, a little toy could be yours! I could see that little frog but could never quite catch him. How I wanted my own little frog! It took me a few years before a toy frog was mine.

Belonging to the order Anura, there are thought be over 5000 named species of frogs in the world filling a variety of niches adapted to different habitats and integrated into multiple food webs with still more species to be discovered. The smallest frog can sit on a dime, while the largest has a body over a foot long. Members of this clan are found on all continents accept Antarctica.

Multiple threats exist for frogs. One of the most wide-spread diseases is caused by Chytrid fungus found in moist environments, infecting many of the amphibian species. This infection is leading to population declines and extinctions in Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, portions of Europe and the Americas including central, south and the western portion of the US. Domestic and foreign trade of amphibians for food and research may be at the center of this continual and sometimes epidemic spread of the Chytrid fungus. The frog’s thin skin can absorb toxins found in their habitat, either from water or land, so they are important bioindicators. When their numbers dwindle, it tells us that something is seriously wrong in our world.

I have included a few salamander images too. Exploring shallow creek beds, skipping stones, and catching salamanders in Indiana was the most fun growing up. With anticipation, I would carefully lift large flat rocks and often found colorful olive and orange curled-up small salamanders and then would try to catch them before they could wriggle away. My appreciation of nature began at these times while standing in small quiet pools cupping slimy creatures, marveling at their small and unique features and then turning them loose before carefully replacing the rocks in their rightful places, respectful of returning nature in the manner I found it.

Leaping Frogs Nature Mandala

8 green tie dye leaping bullfrogs hopping on spear shaped green floating plants are shown with a white, yellow and purple lotus blossom in the middle of the pond on a white background in this garden amphibian pond nature mandala.
Red Bromeliad Dart Frog Mandala

8 red and green poison dart frogs are surrounding a red bromeliad flower bloom pool with tiny tadpoles in this amphibian jungle nature mandala. This image is part of a collection of 11 of my nature mandalas sized 30" x 30" as framed prints on permanent display in the Skip Viragh Cancer Building @ Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore MD.
Amazon Striped Dart Frog Mandala

8 yellow bodied blue striped poison Dendrobates dart frogs with blue legs sit camouflaged among aqua striped yellow philodendron fallen leaves near a blue pool of water with gurgling bubbles and are shown in this tropical rainforest amphibian jungle nature mandala.
Tie Dye Frog and Mosquito Mandala

For the fun of it for the child in all of us! 4 frantic green tie dye frogs eagerly gobble up a ring of buzzing mosquitoes with their flagging pink tongues in this garden and pond nature mandala, From my book: Nature Mandalas: Wonders of the Earth, Wind, and Sea (Schiffer Publishing 2016).
Frog Gathering Mandala

32 colorful frogs have gathered in a circle including leaping green tie dye bull frogs, crouching brown wood frogs, beautifully marked and patterned dart frogs in red and blue and yellow, blue, and green, bronze, and, green and red spotted frumpy horned frogs, and, orange footed and red eyed green perching tree frogs in this frog collection nature mandala.
Yellow Jungle Dart Frog Mandala

Frogs have skin of many colors encompassing the entire color wheel depending upon their habitat to either stand out as a warning to predators or to blend in to hide from them. Their bodies can be green, yellow, orange, red, blue, black and white and even purple with combinations of each. 8 yellow and blue poison dart frogs are presented in this jungle nature mandala.
Red Eye Tree Frog #4 Mandala

9 whimsical green arboreal hylid red eye tree frogs with orange feet, with the scientific name Agalychnis callidryas, rest on branches of jungle leaves in this green rainforest nature mandala. These tree dwelling frogs are native to Mexico and are often kept as pets in vivariums.
Philodendren Blue Dart Frog Mandala

12 tiny blue dart frogs play hide and seek in this philodendron jungle leaf night time nature mandala. From my book: Nature Mandalas: Wonders of the Earth, Wind, and Sea (Schiffer Publishers 2016).
Maple Leaf Spring Salamander Mandala

4 red salamanders with black stripes and black tipped tails are breaking the surface of a pond with fallen and leftover submerged maple leaves below on a brown background in this amphibian garden nature mandala. Spring is the time of year that salamanders migrate and gather to breed in vernal or temporary pools of water.
Leaf Litter Salamander Mandala

4 dark green salamanders in 2 groups of 2 with small lime and pink spots on their backs and their tails intertwined lay on a forest bed of leaf litter consisting of 4 brown maple leaves, 8 maple seed helicopters, 4 multicolored oak leaves, 4 bronze capped green acorns and 4 walnut shell halves in the middle---all presented on a tan background texture with brown coffee stain markings in this leaf litter forest floor nature mandala.

Baker Artist Portfolios

Login

Menu