bufo americanus
Monday, June 28, 2004 — 4:30 pm
McHenry County, Illinois – Hickory Grove Conservation Area
I almost stepped on it. It was sitting in the middle of the packed-dirt horse path at the edge of the scrubby woods near the goat pasture. It hopped a few times, then stopped motionless again. I bent over to study it and waved my finger in front of its face, but it didn’t move. As I stood up it gave a few pathetic toad-hops toward the edge of the path.