At the end of September I spent 5 days exploring the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park. I  stayed at a campsite at Rampart Creek which was near a shallow pond beside the North Saskatchewan River. When returning from a walk one day I came across a toadlet, a juvenile Boreal or Western Toad, Bufo boreas, hopping across the path. It was a bit late in the season for toad activity, but I took advantage of its tardiness and took a few minutes to take some portraits in the white studio.

Boreal Toad, Bufo boreas.

Boreal Toad, Bufo boreas.

My white studios were meant for bugs, but this particular toad was of such a small size (about 35mm/1.5″  in length), that I had no qualms placing it inside the white studio.  It was a cool day and the toad-ling was not overly concerned when it was picked up and brought over to the picnic table where I was doing my ’studio’ work. I  took a few picture in a white bowl first and then placed it in the larger white box for a ground level picture (in center, above). The color differences in the above collage are a result of the angle of the flash when the photograph was taken, but they are similar to the actual variation of color that can be found in the wild, running from a mottled green to dark brown.  I returned it to where I found it, off the path and near the pond, where it moved off into the water.  He had been a most co-operative subject.

The Boreal Toad is a one of the few amphibians found in alpine areas. It ranges down the length of western North America, from Alaska and the Yukon down to California. As adults they can reach a size of 12.5 cm (5″) from snout to vent, with the females being the largest. I plan to do a futrue article at Evolving Complexity with more details on this toad, but for those curious a backgrounder can be found at the Parks Canada site.

(Five photographs placed in a collage with Picasa. Taken with the Nikon D80 with a Tamron 90mm macro lens. Lighting was with a Nikon SB-600 flash equiped with a Lumiquest softbox)