In our rock garden this morning

A Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo valliceps) hopped among the limestone rocks.  I disturbed him while I was transplanting a couple of plants out of that bed, and I was lucky enough to snap a few photos before he took cover under a new rock.

Here he is again from the other side.

That’s Inland sea oats out of focus in the foreground.

The internet tells me that Gulf Coast Toads are common in Austin yards, but it’s still a delight to see one in ours.  Frogs and toads are such good bio-indicators for health of the land that it feels like a pat on the back.