National Frog Month???

Someone told me this is National Frog Month. I can't seem to find out who or what organization declared it so. However, I found lots of websites suggesting artsy-craftsy activities to get kids to appreciate frogs. A much better idea would be to get outside and find a place where one could watch and listen to real frogs! Some years ago, I was a card-carrying member of the World Wide Fairplay for Frogs Committee. I had to print my own card since it was a fictitious organization - sort of - founded and directed by one Nestle Frobish. This character, who some claim was the late Chronicle columnist Art Hoppe, carried on a humorous series of letters with Assemblyman Jerome Waldie that was eventually made into a book. Anyway, I'm all for taking care of frogs, and the best way to do that is to leave them alone, and to stop ruining their habitat. Easy, huh? The top two photos are of the same species, formerly known as Hyla regilla, the Pacific Coast Tree Frog, but recently re-classified as Pseudacris regilla, the Pacific Coast Chorus Frog. I was disappointed when that happened because I named my first daughter Hyla after the original scientific name. Oh well, there are still many species of Hyla in this country, mostly in the Southeast. The bottom photo is Rana boylii or Rana mucosa, the foothill yellow-legged frog or mountain yellow-legged frog, respectively. We let this one go before I could check the details. They're extremely slimy, their thick coating being good protection against the cold mountain waters, and I imagine he often slips out of the mouths of would-be predators. We encountered this one near Rock Lake, around 6,000' elevation in the Bucks Lake Wilderness. Enjoy National Frog Month - don't just do corny crafts projects; establish a true protective relationship with frogs.