It turns out that Kathy was witness to something special: an explosion of Eastern spadefoot toads. Spadefoot toads use their distinctive shovel-like back feet to burrow into sandy soil. Jeff had been in Kathy’s neighborhood monitoring diamondback terrapin nests, so a week later she called him to ask his advice. And it was filled with the inevitable result of that night of toad passion: thousands upon thousands of tadpoles. The tadpoles eat mosquito larvae and the adults eat mosquitoes, so they’re a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Source: Washington Post September 07, 2020 18:51 UTC