The Magic Kingdom...

The mighty Bullfrog. These guys are awesome! I mean just check this guy out- he's the ruler of his world. At least until a water snake comes slithering through or an owl or hawk comes gliding overhead. But actually bullfrogs have been known to devour the occasional snake or just about any other animal that it can fit into it's gaping mouth. Really though, he must be doing something right. I would guess from my vast knowledge of bullfrogs (you're buying this, right?) that this one is at least 2-3 years old and in his sometimes violent world, that's a long time! I found this one at Compton Hollow in an area where a small stream trickled over the trail and pooled into a uh, well... a pool.
The pool itself caught my eye well before the frog did. It was what I call one of those magical spots that I could have played in all day long when I was a kid. The trickling stream formed a nice little waterfall and pushed the tiny waves back under an overhanging tree that enveloped most of the pool allowing only a bit of sunshine here and there, depending on the time of day. There were minnows that tapped at the surface once in a while, catching something probably not much bigger than a gnat. I would guess that the pool was probably 3 or 4 feet deep in the center but not much more than 6 or 8 feet wide making it the ideal world for this frog to keep an eye on not only his next meal but those that were interested in having him for dinner!
I could go on about this bullfrog and his little kingdom but mainly I wanted just to let you know about the spot and how there's magical places like this all around us... we just need to look for them.