Frogs of the Times

New Frog Species Discovered on Staten Island

I've decided to add a new feature to the blog called "Frogs of the Times"--the New York Times, that is.  From time to time the paper of record decides to report on things herpetological.

This article was published almost exactly a year ago and recounts the discovery of a new species of frog on Staten Island.  Yes, Staten Island.  As the reporter explains, most species are discovered in remote and unpopulated areas, but not this time.  The new frog had probably been seen and heard by thousands of people who didn't realize what they were looking at.  The croak, as the article explains, gave it away.

Picture from the New York Times

Playground Frogs

Heritage Row Playground (Pulaski Playground)
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

Named for Heritage Row Houses across the street, a Habitat for Humanity project, Heritage Row Playground is part of the larger Pulaski Playground.

Playground Frogs

Marcy Playground
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

Marcy Playground was named for William Learned Marcy (1786-1857), a governor of New York, Secretary of War under President James K. Polk and Secretary of State under President Franklin Pierce.  The original playground was located about a block away and was dedicated to Samuel Crews, a WWI veteran; the original flagpole was moved with the park.  Today, it's part of the Marcy Houses development.

                           

Playground Frogs

McCarren Park
Williamsburg, Brooklyn


Named after Patrick Henry McCarren (1847-1909), a State Assemblyman and gambler, McCarren Park (formerly Greenpoint park) was a "community showpiece" in the early 20th century with a 1/4-mile track, a field that could be converted to an ice rink, playgrounds, sports fields, and a farm garden for children.  During the Great Depression, the WPA built McCarren Park Pool (one of eleven in the city); it can hold up to 6800 people.  The pool closed in 1984 and reopened in 2012.  These frogs are in the playground adjacent to the pool.  They've seen better days . . .

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I looked around on Flickr and found a couple of pictures of these frogs from 2009, when they were freshly painted.  

Playground Frogs

Lincoln Road Playground
Prospect Park, Brooklyn

NYC Frog Project on the Road

Frog Pond, Boston Common
Boston, MA

In the winter, the Frog Pond is a skating rink; in the summer it seems to be a wading pool.

This vintage postcard shows what it looked like in the early 20th century.










Today, these two frogs keep watch on the goings-on.  Created by David Phillips (2002) and called "Frogs in Common," they are part of a series that extends to the nearby Tadpole Playground.

 

Just inside the Tadpole Playground is this mosaic, dedicated to David J. McGrath by his daughter.

And the gates to the playground have these smaller mosaics built into them.