Winter Frog by Chipka
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Description
It’s no surprise that the Chicago River carries strange things from place to place in its own journey from…well…from place to place. I find it oddly surprising that the Chicago River doesn’t contain more than it does. Frogs aren’t really keen on too much of northern Illinois, and so it’s no surprise that they aren’t a part of Chicago ecology, despite the occasional interloper (usually a misplaced [or escaped] toad.) I suspect climate is the primary reason for Chicago’s lack of frogs, and I wonder if, perhaps, the Chicago River is too deep, too fast moving for frogs.
I was surprised, as you might guess, to see what appeared to be a frog in the Chicago River. I can’t imagine exactly what kind of frog it was, other than it seemed to be painted on the underside of a broken ice-plate, drifting along the North Branch of the Chicago River. I suspect that someone had actually painted the frog in question on a sheet of ice that found its way into the river. I snapped this photo as both frog and ice-plate drifted by. It had been my initial idea to photograph ice on the river, and I’m rather pleased with the fact that a frog was painted on the underside of a bit of ice I’d captured by sheer, lucky timing.
The frog is long gone now. Based on the brief warming trend the city experienced before the chill returned, I suspect that the ice has melted and that the frog has…diffused into the water. Perhaps this was a sign, perhaps the frog diffusion may lead to a surge of amphibious life in the summer months. I doubt it, but I rather like the idea of a frog image (painted on ice) coaxing real frogs into the city, though they’d have a hard time living here. Or would they?
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you are all on the verge of a great weekend.
Comments (20)
xxancroft
Chipka could this be one half of a pair of plastic frog slippers? You need some thing slippery when walking on ice. . .
treasureprints
Fascinating!:)
Wolfenshire
You have a good eye.. whether it's a frog or not, I would never have noticed that.
PREECHER
oh my goodness. it is a frog...this is an excellent capture by you...whew i bet it was cold...i've been to chicago a few times in my life but never in the winter. with the way things are going chicago may have frogs someday...if you know what i mean...great capture...you have a hawks' eye... chills and thrills
blinkings
Just when you think you have seen everything Chip!
durleybeachbum
Marvellous find!!
Meisiekind
Oh wow Chip - It must be frozen solid to the plate of ice! What an amazing find!
kgb224
Amazing find and capture my friend. God Bless.
Faemike55
Fantastic find, Chip there will be some questions that will have no answers - this is one of those
MrsRatbag
LOL! Wonder what else you'd see if you just hunkered down and watched the shoreline continuously? River Watcher would be a great job...you could find poems and dreams and all kinds of lost stories. Excellent capture!
helanker
HA! this is sush a fun and amusing story about this frog and the possibilities of frogs in the future summer river. Well seen and captured :)))
sandra46
SUPERLATIVE CAPTURE
flavia49
fantastic capture
whaleman
Great shot, almost surreal!
RodS
That's quite a find, Chip! Cool shot!
auntietk
Maybe it was a plastic floating thing that became encased in ice as the river froze. Maybe frog aliens from another planet put it there because ... well ... for their own nefarious purposes! You never know. It's a fun mystery, and a great shot!
wysiwig
You might want to give CSI Chicago a call. Looks like a suspicious death to me. This is probably a toy or a shoe although I've heard stories of frogs frozen in the ice and coming back to life once they were thawed out. Whatever it is, its an outstanding find and capture.
CoreyBlack
Hmmmmmmmmm. "Winter Frog". Sounds like the latest fragrance from Calvin Klein. Yes, this certain IS rare1 In fact, in my almost 30 years in Chicago, I don't recall EVER seeing a frog. Much less one under the ice in the river. This ranks up there when I saw a deer walking down the middle of Gunnison Street in Jefferson Park back in the 90s. Very trippy! And I love the vague, but very discernible frog shape under the ice. very cool!
nikolais
could be a piece of plastic bag...or toy...doesn't matter. it means the ecology of the local waterways is favorable enough for plastic frogs
danapommet
A funny story and a great find/capture Chip!