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| Golden Toad (Public Domain) |
Humans aren't the only species to make incredible journeys. MSN reports that every
spring, tiny Philadelphia toadlets migrate from their birthplace in an abandoned reservoir, across a busy road, and over to their natural habitat in the woods.
After a passing motorist noticed this phenomenon, volunteers were given permission to set up temporary roadblocks in order to help insure the toadlets’ safety.
These volunteers even scoop toadlets into cups in order to “ferry” them across the street.
It is heartening to see that human/toad relationships have come a long way since the days of John Milton, who portrayed Satan as a toad within his famous work, Paradise
Lost.
European folklore has also been less than complimentary about these cute little critters, often depicting them as deadly fodder for witches’ brews.
Note this famous recipe excerpt from Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Round
about the cauldron go; In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad that under cold stone Days and
nights has thirty-one… Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”
Resources
http://news.msn.com/videos?videoid=be25b628-071f-918b-238d-49259ce3266e
Copyright June 15, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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