(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Sonoran Desert Toads. [1] ['A Pagan In Arizona', 'View Profile', 'Back Of Bourke'] Date: 2026-04-21 This week I want to share some pictures taken here or close by, of one of my favorite wild creatures. The Sonoran Desert Toad aka Colorado Toad. Spring has sprung here, and that means toadlets are appearing. (A little one my son found while working near the river recently and moved to safety). I first encountered Sonoran toads when I lived down in Cave Creek thirty-odd years ago. I lived in an old Airstream trailer at the time, and after being on my feet all day I liked to sit outside under the awning, cold cheap beer in hand, and soak my feet in an old tin wash tub full of water. Then as now, water was a precious resource to be conserved; I’d top it off once in a while but didn’t dump out the wash tub very often. So it sat out there day and night. It didn’t occur to me that anyone else would be interested in it. (A really tiny one he found last year). It was as close to idyllic as anything I’d ever experienced. Just sitting quietly in the shade, by myself, cold beer in hand, cold water on my feet, nobody making any sort of demands on me. Until someone decided I needed to share the joy. Around 2 AM one night I was awakened by splashing noises outside. This wasn’t long after my nighttime meeting with a javalina, and that was my first thought. That critter followed me home, saw or smelled the water, and waited until I was asleep to make his move. (I know how silly that sounds). I got up to peek out the window. And saw…nothing. There was water splashed around and the surface was moving, but I couldn’t tell what was doing it. (Last summer was especially hot and dry. This beauty kept showing up in my ducks pool, so I gave her one of her own). Whatever it was, it wasn’t a javalina or skunk or anything else potentially hazardous, so I went back to bed and quickly fell asleep. Next morning I stepped outside and there it was- the biggest, most magnificent toad I’d ever seen. With it’s front feet on the edge of the wash tub, it’s body dangling in the water, limpid bulbous eyes gazing up at me. We stared at each other for a moment, and just as I wondered if perhaps it needed help getting out, it kicked it’s back legs and launched itself out of the water. In days to come it’d return, and on one occasion refused to vacate when I wanted to soak my feet. We shared the water that night. That was how I fell in love with toads. (A large toad next to my house last summer). According to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (see link below), these toads are “Found from Central Arizona to southwestern New Mexico and Sinaloa, Mexico; historically entered southeastern California, though it has not been seen there since the 1970s.” Also, “Sonoran Desert toads have extremely potent, defensive toxins that are released from several glands (primarily the paratoids) in the skin. Animals that harass this species generally are intoxicated through the mouth, nose, or eyes. Dog owners should be cautious: the toxins are strong enough to kill full grown dogs that pick up or mouth the toads. Symptoms of intoxication are excessive salivation, irregular heartbeat and gait, and pawing at the mouth. If a dog displays any of these symptoms, use a garden hose to rinse its mouth from back to front and consult a veterinarian.” So my sharing of a wash tub full of water may not have been a wise thing to do, although I suffered no ill effects from it. https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_desert_toad.php (A pair of them getting busy a couple weeks ago). (In a grassy spot near Oak Creek recently). BTW I haven’t yet figured out how to do the photo attribution thing, but all of these pictures are my own. (Down by our well pump last summer). I love them so much that I included a Sonoran Toad in a sort-of self portrait I painted back in 2021. The Hedgewitch, 2021. I included a number of the small creatures I see around my house here. A closer look at the toad in the lower left corner. I’m still getting the hang of how posting works here, I’m sure it’ll get easier with time. Thank you for reading. This is an open thread. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/21/800023071/community/t/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/