The Toad That Stayed All Afternoon and Then Left During The Night!

Have you ever had an interesting creature spend the afternoon and then leave during the dark of the  night?

One sunny afternoon in May 2015, I was out mowing my yard and enjoying the day because I love to mow. My yard is not too wide or long so I can pretty well see anything that might be moving through it --so I thought! Somehow, I missed this creature moving in until, out of my side vision, I saw a brown lump sitting near my fuel tank.

Getting up close, I realized it was a toad--those are the ones you don't touch -- you'll get warts, or is that a frog?  I was later told my visitor was an American Toad. The toad seemed tired and uncaring that I was staring down at it.  I thought it might be building a nest because it seemed burrowed down, surrounded by gravel.

The toad never moved while I finished mowing the yard. It seemed uncaring about the noise of the lawn mower. It became an attraction as people came and looked at it, but never once did it seemed like it cared. It never moved.  Could Mr. or Mrs. Toad be sick?

Day turned into evening and my vigil continued. At 9:05 p.m., I took my camera and a light and went out to check on it and this is what I found--Toad heading out.

Toad heading out
 

Deciding to give it some space, I went back inside and came out a little later and the toad was gone.

If you have any clues about this mystery, I welcome your thoughts.