I Am the Red-Eyed Tree Frog

I am the red-eyed tree frog,

Agalychnis Callidryas.

My scientific name sings like a song.

From Greek, it means “beautiful tree nymph.”

I live in the forest

screeching with life:

birds squawk, monkeys chatter, snakes slither, frogs croak.

Warm air, heavy with moisture.

Leaves on bushes & trees sag with the weight of water droplets.

I am the red-eyed tree frog.

Up in the tree, I sit, legs ready to climb.

Look high, look hard—

You won’t see me.

My skin matches the brilliant green leaves perfectly.

I am nocturnal—

And like a vampire, the night belongs to me.

I sleep in the bright sunlight, my blood warming.

I am an amphibian.

I sleep in the broad daylight, but I am not vulnerable.

I have my sly defenses you see.

If my camouflage green fails,

I my red eyes open.

I my bright legs.

my would-be tormentor (snake, bat, spider, or bird)

is confused momentarily,

and I away.

I am Agalychnis Callidryas,

born a squirmy tadpole swimming in water.

But, like magic, I change into what I was destined to be.

I leave the water and climb up trees.

Metamorphosis.

Some call me the red-eyed leaf frog.

I live on all continents except Antarctica—brrr.

I especially like the rainforests of Central and South America.

I have as many homes as a rich retiree.

I am the beautiful tree nymph—

my blue inner thighs are disorienting,

My big red eyes bewitching,

my orange or red feet

beguiling, especially to the insects I eat.

Yum. The cricket is my favorite.

Crunch, crunch. Ahh.

I am a carnivore

from the family Hylidae.

I am the red-eyed tree frog

Agalychnis Callidryas.

My scientific name sings like a song.

From Greek, it means “beautiful tree nymph.”

Bobbi Faulkner