#toadlovers

Cool toad info incoming! Sharing some shots from my diary with you that bring me great joy. Toads have always been my favourite animals, and I am so happy whenever I see one (as with all animals; especially small critters hold a special place in my heart). These images are from a recent nightwalk, where we maybe encountered around 30 toads on their way to spawn.

Since medieval times, the toad is symbolically associated with the uterus (which makes sense, thinking about how they rest in the ground, the great mother). Votive depictions of toads were also used as fertility charms. Equally, the toad was considered as a familiar spirit, and often associated with witches. During the so-called Galli-Mainini-Test, toads and frogs were used for early detection of pregnancy. Urine or blood serum from a test subject was injected subcutaneously into the dorsal lymph sac of the animal, and if the female spawned after 12 to 24 hours or spermatorrhoea was observed in the male, then the test subject was considered pregnant.

And like me, they prefer dark hiding spots and like to be left alone (which, admittedly, I didn’t exactly do for photography’s sake). Probably the reason why I always saw them as kindred spirits.