MAYBE AS A CHILD YOU CAUGHT FIREFLIES IN A JAR, OR COLLECTED BUTTERFLIES OR HAD AN ANT FARM.

MY SISTER STEPHANIE AND I HAD AN ODD SUMMERTIME RITUAL THAT WE PERFORMED WITH FIERCE DEDICATION.

WE CALLED IT "TOAD PATROL."

I DON'T REMEMBER WHOSE IDEA IT WAS. I DON'T EVEN RECALL WHEN WE STARTED, OR HOW MANY YEARS IT WENT ON. ALL IT TOOK FOR US TO GO ON PATROL WAS FOR ONE OF US TO EXCLAIM "TOAD PATROL!" AND THEN OFF WE WENT INTO THE HOT SUMMER NIGHT.

WHENEVER WE WALKED AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AFTER DARK, WE WOULD OFTEN SEE TOADS SITTING MOTIONLESS ON THE SIDEWALK, MOST LIKELY HUNTING FOR BUGS, OR MAYBE JUST MEDITATING. IT WAS OUR JOB TO COLLECT THEM. FOR SOME INEXPLICABLE REASON, WE FELT COMPELLED TO SCOUR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, COLLECTING AS MANY TOADS AS WE POSSIBLY COULD.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKED: ARMED WITH A FLASHLIGHT AND A PAPER GROCERY BAG, WE WOULD ROAM THE SIDEWALKS LATE IN THE EVENING, LOOKING FOR UNSUSPECTING TOADS.

WHEN WE HAPPENED UPON A TOAD SITTING OUT UNDER THE GLOW OF THE STREETLIGHT, WE WOULD QUICKLY GRAB IT, INSPECT IT AND TOSS IT IN THE PAPER SACK. WE WOULD DO THIS FOR HOURS AT A TIME, OBSESSIVELY COMBING THE STREETS OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, LOOKING FOR OUR PREY. WE NEVER HURT THE TOADS. WE JUST COLLECTED THEM IN THE PAPER BAGS.

SINCE TOADS DO PEE WHEN SCARED, IT WOULDN'T BE LONG BEFORE OUR BAGS WOULD START TO GET A LITTLE SOGGY, AND IT WOULD BE TIME TO HEAD BACK HOME.

BACK HOME, WE WOULD RELEASE ALL THE TOADS WE HAD CAPTURED INTO OUR OWN YARD, CAREFULLY PLACING EACH TOAD INDIVIDUALLY AND EQUIDISTANT FROM ALL THE OTHER NEW ARRIVALS. SINCE TOADS EAT BUGS, WE REASONED, OUR YARD WOULD BE FAR LESS BUGGY IF WE HAD MORE TOADS AROUND.

I DON'T THINK THE BUG ISSUE THE REAL REASON WE WENT ON TOAD PATROL. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT STEPH, BUT I FELT A CERTAIN STRANGE SATISFACTION AS WE INTRODUCED EACH NEW TOAD TO OUR YARD.

I GUESS WE MUST'VE STOPPED GOING ON PATROL AT ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL AGE. IT WASN'T AS THOUGH WE DECIDED WE HAD ENOUGH TOADS. I THINK WE MUST HAVE JUST LOST INTEREST.

EVEN NOW, YEARS LATER, OUR PARENTS' YARD HAS AN ASTOUNDING NUMBER OF TOADS LIVING IN IT. I LIKE TO THINK OUR EFFORTS HELPED BUILD THE ROBUST TOAD POPULATION.

TODAY, WHENEVER I SEE A TOAD ON A SIDEWALK, I FEEL A LITTLE SURGE OF EXCITEMENT JUMP INSIDE ME, AND I WISH I HAD A PAPER BAG.