Photographer Tony Jancek and his family spent the July 4th weekend hiking in the southern Adirondack Mountains, beckoned by the deep woods and cool streams. They weren’t disappointed in their hopes of finding signs of wildlife, and as they explored one stream, Tony felt as if he was being watched. He was. This Eastern American toad, Bufo a. americanus, had Tony in his eye while basking on a warm boulder.

Warty and sporting a camouflaged mottled coloration which blends well with dirt and mud—where he will retreat when the temperature soars—the toad sternly holds his ground for our enquiring photographer. Good thing Tony wasn’t small enough to eat.

 
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If you’re a fly fisherman with a penchant for matching the hatch, you’ll probably recognize this beauty. And if you also tie your own flies, as well, you’ve no doubt twisted turkey biot and commingled hackle onto a #16 hook in an attempt at imitation. Of course, the “beauty” in question is a mayfly, newly emerged from its nymphal stage. Look carefully at the lower left of the photo and you can even see the discarded exoskeleton. (Right-click on the picture to open an enlargement in a new window.) Now, can you identify the species?

 
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In a riverbank refuge repeatedly scoured by surging floodwaters, a cluster of ferns hangs tough.

 
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