I’ve been out to South Coyote Buttes 5 or 6 times but never experienced the blooming desert wildflowers on display. We’ve had quite a bit of rain this spring and it shows, even in the desert. South Coyote Buttes is on the Arizona/Utah border and is about 2o miles from the nearest paved highway.
Yes, this frog, only 2 inches long, can really make some noise! And it’s not a single rivet. It’s a series of rivets that have a staccato-like delivery that resembles a machine gun sound or the sound of a woodpecker pecking. The male frog produces this sound to attract females during the spring breeding season. Frogs usually make the calls near bodies of water that are suitable for breeding and egg laying. The eggs hatch in about 2 weeks and metamorphose from tadpoles in 45-75 days. The video below, shot at Zion National Park, Utah, captures the sound as I was within a few feet of one loud one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34sysHn_ovY
Up on the Eastside of Zion National Park is an unmarked and unpublicized trail that offers a different look than the rest of the park. The Many Pools Trail is exactly what the name implies. A bunch of pools or potholes carved through erosion into the soft sandstone. The recent May rains have filled the pools and provided some great reflections. And in the spring you will find nature at work in the form of one little amphibian. The Canyon Tree Frog makes its home in these pools and I have photographed it and recorded its sounds that will be highlighted in my next post. But for now, enjoy the landscape of their home.
