Butternut Creek’s first summer bio-inventory project started with a bang after student researchers Maddy Godin and Livia Dewar made an astonishing discovery.  As they were counting frogs in the newly constructed wetlands near the farm’s old quarry pond,  a rare blue-coloured green frog (Lithobates clamitans) cautiously peeped its head above the water before taking its place along the perimeter of the pond with other green frogs.

Torrential rainfall the day before (over 2 inches in about an hour), as well as heavy rains on Canada Day, had brought more than 30 frogs to congregate at the pond and lay their eggs. Amongst them, the blue frog resting modestly at the edge, quite indifferent to the sensation its presence was causing.  While these frogs are biologically the same as their green counterparts, the vibrant cobalt coloring is a striking and unusual sight, more commonly expected in the tropics of South America than the farmlands of Eastern Ontario, Canada.  Caused by a genetic mutation that prevents yellow pigmentation, the rare mutation  leaves the frog’s skin an arresting cobalt blue and has been reported in just 3 in 100, 000 frogs.

While the blue frog was an uncommon and exciting sight, ultimately, the bio-inventory isn’t about collecting rarities. It’s about documenting the everyday beauty and the rich complexity of the land, water, and life around us, so that we can recognize and protect it for the future. The blue frog simply gave us a memorable welcome!