I nearly stepped on the subject of this column. One more step without looking at the ground, and the critter would have been underfoot. Thankfully, I looked down just in time.

I was taking my daily short walk at work and rounding the final bend when I looked down to see a gray tree frog. It was directly in the middle of the trail, and since tree frogs can change color to match the environment, it was difficult to spot.

To make matters worse, it just sat there instead of hopping away frantically like most frogs encountered in the wild. You’d never see a leopard frog or wood frog just sitting there on the trail. They start scampering away like their feet are on fire long before they are nearly underfoot. But this tree frog just sat there.