Finding Out About Frogs

While it's still too cold to hear frogs croaking at , a group of Livonia Scouts learned how to listen for them at the on Wednesday.

Naturalist Tara White led the members of Livonia Cub Scout Pack #907 through several indoor "Frogs and Fun" activities before taking them to listen at the bridge outside the Nature Center and at the Stuart Little Pond, which is south of the park entrance.

White shared facts about frogs, explained how frogs are different from toads (frogs live more in the water, toads live more on land), and told the Scouts why frogs and toads can be helpful.

"American toads are actually really good for gardens, because they eat pesky insects like beetles and mosquitoes," White said.

The Scouts also learned some "fun facts" about frogs.

"Frogs shut their eyes when they swallow," White said. "When they swallow, they push their eyeballs in and it actually helps to push their food down their throat."

White invited the Scouts to keep track of the frogs they find in Heritage Park. She gave them each a data sheet to record frog sounds whenever they visit the park. The data will also be recorded on a sheet at the Nature Discovery Center.