The weather conditions of the past week have caused me to discard a great line I really wanted to use in this column. Oh what the hey, I'll use it anyway. You know you are in Texas in July when the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance. What do the backyard critters do when you learn that your seat buckle makes a pretty good branding iron?

    Let us consider a local amphibian the lowly Woodhouse's toad. In the summer, when he discovers that asphalt has a liquid state, he will burrow under the soil. There he undergoes a process called aestivation where his breathing, heart rate and other body processes slow down. He will be protected from dryness much the same way as those that hibernate are protected from the cold. This reduction in activity decreases the need for water. He will stay underground until the weather cools off.

    This toad is abundant in Plano areas where pollution has not overcome him. He usually appears at night and often near streetlights where insects abound and may be had for the gulping. For you trivia buffs, he was named after Samuel Washington Woodhouse, surgeon and naturalists of exploration expeditions to the Southwest in the mid-nineteenth century.

    Should you uncover a toad taking his summer nap never fear for one does not get warts from touching toads. Their skin gland secretions are irritating to mucus membranes so wash your hands after handling and keep your fingers away from your eyes and mouth until you do.