That's A Lot Of Bull

During the course of my life, I have heard the word bull associated with the name Stan Orchard many times. I'm happy to say that these days, the word frog is usually tacked on more often than not. This is the story of the real Stan Orchard, a scientist on a quest to halt an invasion of British Columbia.

I refer to Stan A. Orchard, R.P. Bio. Clearly this is not me. There is no A in my middle name and there have never been letters after my name, though there have been a number of adjectives before, most of them less than flattering. No, this Stan Orchard is one of the leading authorities on amphibians, most notably bullfrogs.

Turns out bullfrogs have been moving north from the U.S. into lower Vancouver Island for some time, causing all sorts of problems for the local ecosystem. American bullfrogs have a nasty habit of harming other species, among other problems. Stan Orchard is based in Victoria, BC and I've sort of followed Web postings about his work for some years. He is clearly a man on a mission to get those big frogs voted off the island.

Now, he's started a company to do just that. BullfrogControl.com Inc. is online with an abundance of information about the problems of bullfrogs and ways the public can help in the fight. If you have an interest in frogs as we do here in Hobart (ours are tiny varieties that seem to live under every leaf on The Orchard Compound), I suggest taking a look. Interesting stuff.

I've never met Stan Orchard. Never communicated with him in any way. Frankly, he probably doesn't know I exist. But I'm nonetheless quite proud of him. Hey, if you're going to share a name with someone it's far better that he is someone of such high stature. Heck, if my folks had named me Harry I'd share the name of an infamous killer from the 1800s who had a penchant for dynamite. Eew!

So, all the best to you, Stan Orchard. Here's hoping you come out victorious in your great bullfrog battle. And thanks for bringing such nobility to our shared name. I hope we can meet sometime.