July 10, 2025 The Beacon • 23

By Marianne Austin The Beacon

Throughout this summer, the Clary Gardens Colors of Nature children’ s program participants have explored the woodlands and creek area, looked at the colors of rocks, and learned why water looks blue and how butterflies can see more colors than people can.

This week they studied green frogs. Jodi Morrison had a tub full of tadpoles and frogs for the children to see and hold.

“ When tadpoles grow up, you can see their legs coming out. It’ s kind of exciting. Frogs start as eggs, and when our frogs hatch out of their eggs, they come out as tadpoles,” she said.“ When they come out as tadpoles, they don’ t have any legs, and they don’ t have lungs. They have gills like a fish, and they breathe like a fish.”

Morrison said some of them just hatched last week. After they start developing legs, their gills start going away, and they start breathing through their nose instead of through their gills.

“ That is why they have to come to the top to get air because they start breathing through their nose,” she said.“ They will get all four legs, their nose will be fully developed and they’ ll still have a

Marianne Austin Children studied frogs at a recent Clary Gardens program day.

For more information about children’ s programs, visit www. clarygardens. org.

little tail on their end, and that is why they are called a frogling.”

Morrison asked the children what they think happens to the little tail?“ It falls off” was the answer most of the children gave.“ No, they actually eat it,”

Morrison said. The children said“ Ewww” to that answer. If they are true frogs and not toads, they can go on land, but they spend most of their life in water. They have permeable skin so they can absorb oxygen and moisture through their skin. Toads can too because they also have permeable skin, but they rely on their lungs a little more. They are terrestrial, which means toads spend most of their life on land. All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.

Children learned where

Marianne Austin

Children study nature and enjoy craft time at Clary Gardens.

their habitats are, the difference between a toad and a frog, and what their eggs look like. They learned about cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals and how they survive in winter. Morrison said frogs have been around longer than dinosaurs.

The children were able to hold a frog or just touch a frog.“ He’ s slippery” was one of the comments. Another said the tree frogs

had sticky fingers. The reason is so they can stick to the side of a tree, and they are a different color to blend with the tree bark. The children could go to the small pond and try catching a frog, and they were encouraged to explore at their own pace. The craft for the day was rock painting.

For more information about children’ s programs, visit www. clarygardens. org.