Toad

If you see a sheet of corrugated metal on the ground it's always worth having a peek to see what's underneath. Reptiles and amphibians are attracted by the warmth created when the sun shines on the surface.. That was how I found this toad in the garden.

I have history with toads. (I don't find them repellent.)
When I was about 11 or 12 my family moved to an area near some  long-established ponds  in a neglected  garden. Although I couldn't access the ponds which were on private land I roamed the old footpaths that ran along the boundaries of these large properties.In spring the paths were thick with toads making their slow clambering progress towards the water. Concerned that they might get trampled by passers-by I went out every evening during the spawning season to give them a helping hand to reach their destination. Sometimes I collected bucketfuls and posted them through the fence. I suspect that today you might only see toads in such great numbers in a David Attenborough television series. Now I'm happy to find just the one.


 'Toad' by Scottish poet Norman McCraig (1910 -1996) 

Stop looking like a purse. How could a purse
squeeze under the rickety door and sit,
full of satisfaction, in a man's house?

You clamber towards me on your four corners -
right hand, left foot, left hand, right foot.

I love you for being a toad,
for crawling like a Japanese wrestler,
and for not being frightened.

I put you in my purse hand, not shutting it,
and set you down outside directly under
every star.

A jewel in your head? Toad,
you've put one in mine,
a tiny radiance in a dark place.


The poet likens the animal to a purse (ditto his hand, to hold it). Would you believe it is actually possible to buy a toadskin purse - in gold? It costs £350.
https://www.e35shop.com/kobja-toad-skin-purse-zip-gold.html

Happily this toad was able to return to her warm snooze under the metal sheet.