Fred and I had a great day. Fred is my gardening companion.
Sometime in July....Fred....actually we call him Red Fred because he's much more crimson than our regular toads....arrived and found my large cement planter on my front porch an adequate hide-away.
Red Fred and I met at dusk.
It was memorable.
I was out watering my plants with a big ol' sprinkler can and started watering the plants in my cement planter. Plob....something wet and soft and cold landed on my foot. I let out a blood curdling scream....so loud the neighbor across the street peered through her blinds to survey the scene.
What ever was on my foot quickly moved away. I looked around for a second...but didn't want to stay to long...this is the South....God knows what creature/creatures are up and about at night in the heat.
In the morning, I stood on my porch, looked dow and there was Red Fred...sitting in a shallow depression in my long rectangular planter....looking comfy.
I put two and two together.....wet, soft and cold...startled by sprinkling =Red Fred, chubby local toad.
Red Fred....didn't seem to mind me getting closer to inspect him....and that's when I noticed Fred was quit....well....red...for a toad....hence the name Red Fred.
He likes my planter. During the day....he's in dirt....burrowed down between some flowers.. he's high enough off the ground that I imagine he gets a penthouse view in toad terms.
Ozzie the Wonder dog....passes by a couple times of day....and Red Fred just stares him. I pass by him several times a day....Red Fred just stares. Now, he's not in my planter every day....but he's there often enough that I give a shout out to him when I see him. "Hey Red Fred.....What'cha doing?"
Red Fred doesn't answer me...but sometimes he will realign his body to point at me.....I don't think this is flattery or recognition...but survival. I'm a fairly large object and I'm making noise and waving at him.
Since the start of September I've been working on my front garden. My hip injury has healed....so I'm overjoyed that I can carry rocks and dig holes and weed for hours. I've always loved to garden....and there's something wonderful about end-of-the-season gardening--a sense of re-ordering after the long hot summer and in some way....preparing for next spring.
Surprisingly, Red Fred has kept his eyes on me.
Weeding....pruning....hauling mulch....Red Fred has watched all from his perch. I even tossed him a grub worm....and before I could even focus my eyes on him...the grub was gone. Maybe that's why Red Fred tolerates me.....he believes I'm magically can make grubs rain down from the sky.
If Red Fred...thinks I'm magical...well I'm all for that.
Tomorrow...I have to replant his perch....my flowers have completely withered in the late summer heat and I've bought some pretty pansies. I wonder if Red Fred will like them? Or if he will be offended that I've rearranged his home?....He likes to make depressions in the soft dirt in a couple of spots....I can easily plant my flowers in a pattern that protects those favorite spots.
Toads are usually territorial...and can live a few years. I wouldn't mind having Red Fred around for a while.
Hail King of the Planter....and please eat eat eat...all those nasty bugs in my yard.
