The American Toad

Dragonflies, spiders, and more...

My friend Pete Eyheralde, a biology professor at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, tells me this is an American toad, the only species of toad that can be found locally. Native American cultures view the toad as a symbol of transformation and adaptability due to their dual nature of living both in water and on land. Toads also have a connection with rain, natural cycles, and the renewal of life in Native American culture.

Above is a short video of the toad hopping.

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I have been hearing geese for maybe three weeks, and I was able to get this short video of some geese in flight on Tuesday morning.

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This is the place where I heard barred owls last week. There are some birds on this tape that Merlin couldn’t identify. Any thoughts?

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I seldom post observations from home, but this one and the following are exceptions. Since we are in the Cedar Creek drainage area, close enough! Check out the above dragonfly swarm. Check out what was below them:

I didn’t see any dragonflies feeding from the ground, but it was still amazing.

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After Monday’s rain, spiders were everywhere on Tuesday morning. As I looked across the field, I could see dozens of smaller webs, but they didn’t photograph well as a group.

Everywhere I turned there were spider webs on the ground too.

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Since it is getting light so late, Violet the Dog and I have been going out in the dark early if I have an appointment in town in the morning. We’ll still post what we see! On Sunday I’ll leave for Julie Gammack’s Okoboji Writers’ Retreat. I won’t be back until Wednesday evening, so I may not do Cedar Creek Nature Notes next week, although I may do a special one from Okoboji, if I get a chance.

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If you are a subscriber and would like to share a photo of something beautiful or wondrous near you, please email me at rdwleonard@gmail.com, and I’ll share it. Thanks!

If you enjoy Cedar Creek Nature Notes, I encourage you to subscribe to my friend Larry Stone’s “Listening to the Land.” It’s fantastic. Larry has forgotten more than I will ever know about our outdoor world. For another glimpse of the wonders of the Iowa outdoors, Diane Porter’s My Gaia is another Substack I enjoy. It’s full of observations on nature and is ripe with wisdom.

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