The banks of the dikes at Lake Woodruff NWR were festooned with leopard frogs. The only hard part in photographing them was to find a frog sitting still before it leaped into the water. When I walked along the bank there was constant splashing as the frogs dove for safety.

The first two frogs above are juveniles. The third one is a nice big adult. The frogs range from dark brown to bright green, with every mixture in between. One study showed that they tend to be browner when away from water for awhile, though they also tend to be darker when in cold water.

For more about the wildlife of Lake Woodruff, check out Dr. Peter May's web guide to this refuge.

I was wandering around near our campground in the late afternoon, looking for herps to chase around with my camera, when I noticed some froggy splashing in the puddles of remaining water in a small drainage canal. I clearly saw at least twenty small frogs leap for safety into the water or the surrounding foliage. The only problem was, they were hopping so quickly that I could never get a good look at one. Finally I saw clearly where one had dove for safety in an inch or two of water, and I managed to grab it. It turned out to be a recently transformed Florida Leopard Frog, and it allowed me to get a few pictures on the bank of the canal before it bounded away.

This beautiful frog was sitting perfectly still a few feet from the boardwalk. I was surprised it didn't leap away when I got near, but perhaps it realized that it was in an inaccessible spot, where I could see it but not quite get close enough for an unobstructed photo.