The American toad in this photo by Bill Heban is a more frequent backyard visitor than most Rossford residents might suspect.

Mr. Heban explained a primary difference between frogs and toads–a frog’s skin is smooth and often slimy, while a toad’s skin is dry and bumpy.

“The bumps are often called warts, but it is a myth that they will cause warts in humans who touch them,” he noted.

However, Mr. Heban cautioned that doesn’t make them safe to handle.

“All toads have glands behind their eyes that produce a toxin to help them discourage predation. Results can be severe for smaller predators, but cause an allergic reaction in humans when it is absorbed through the skin.”

American toads have a tadpole stage, yet after about two months of development, the adults are often encountered far-removed from water.

“That was the case for this one, which I found just outside our back door in the spring of 2013,” he said.

A Rossford native, Mr. Heban describes himself as a wildlife lover and “advanced amateur” photographer specializing in native fauna and flora of the Midwest.

Again this year, he is sharing a series of his photos with Record readers.