Taking a Closer Look - Frog and Daddy Longlegs

I try to remember to bring my camera with me whenever I'm outside even if it's just for a short while, because I never know when I'll see something interesting. Yesterday, while picking blackberries, this little guy hopped across the leaves on the ground. If I didn't catch the movement, I probably wouldn't even have seen him as his color blended in with the dried leaves.

Spring Peeper

 If you live in New Hampshire and want to identify a frog, New Hampshire Fish and Game have a great page at http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/nongame/frogs.html with photos and descriptions. I was surprised that there are only ten species of frogs and toads native to New Hampshire. This made the identification of this spring peeper (with distinctive X on its back) easy.

I don't know if it's because we have had a lot of rain recently, but the Oriental Bittersweet has really taken off in our yard, so I try to pull or cut some vines for a few minutes every day. It is very discouraging and I know I'm not winning the battle, but hopefully keeping it somewhat contained.

While picking berries, and pulling bittersweet at the same time, I stopped to take a snapshot of this Daddy Longlegs on a Oriental Bittersweet vine.

Daddy Longlegs on Bittersweet

Daddy Longlegs are not true spiders, but are of the order Opiliones and are also referred to as harvestman. An easy way to identify the difference is that the Harvestman has only one body segment and not two like spiders. Also, unlike spiders, Daddy Longlegs cannot spin webs. They can be beneficial to the garden as they eat other insects, including pests such as aphids, slugs and mites. I'm sorry to say that the resting perch of this arachnid had to go. I am confident that he safely moved elsewhere in the woods.