This male green frog sat in a small half-barrel pond for a few weeks calling for a mate. It would climb onto the nearby tomatoes and wait for insects to feed on. We would see it sitting there on many occasions. In July, his persistent singing paid off because we saw thousands of eggs in his little pond.

Two male green frogs are fighting for territories within a backyard pond. They puff themselves up with air to look big and grunt at each other. These two males were rolling in the water together, as if dancing, until one gave up that section of the pond. What a fascinating show!

For two years, a robin had chosen to make a nest on a wreath of our front door. The door had a window in it. We decided to close the blind so the robin would not see any of us moving inside the house. Although we continually used the door, which opened into the house, the robin finished the nest and raised its young. By the time the babies were fairly large (see photo), they were used to the constant movement of the door opening. We would open the door into the house, walk outside, close the door and they would simply watch. It took 2 1/2 weeks for the robins to fly away. Although it took a bit of cleaning after our feathered friends left, our children learned so much and loved the experience.

This is the caterpillar of the cecropia moth, North America’s largest moth. A cecropia moth that has just emerged and is extending its wings, which will be 15 cm (6 inches) across