As I was observing a tiny green tree frog in the cattails, a large fly suddenly buzzed into the frame and landed right next to the frog. Did the fly initially consider the frog to be a potential prey? Was the fly a daredevil who liked to flirt with danger? Was this an initiation test into a fly fraternity or perhaps the result of a bet between drunk buddies?
The unlikely juxtaposition of these two creatures makes me smile every time I look at it. As a child, I watched lots of cartoons in which frogs would flick out their very long tongues and snag unsuspecting flies from a great distance. I waited and watched, anticipating the moment when the frog would turn and strike. That moment never came—the fly eventually flew off to safety.
Real life doesn’t always live up to life in the cartoons.
(Click on the photo to see a higher resolution view.)
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That fly is big enough to keep that little frog going for days. I never knew that tree frogs spent so much time on cattails.
I’ve never seen a tree frog on a tree, but they seem to like the cattails in my marsh for sure.
I’m going with the fraternity test.
Amazing little critter. I appreciate the fly posing so I could get a measure of the size of this frog.