晚間七時過後，夏夜的面紗緩緩覆蓋「台北101」大樓。頂樓塔柱點亮了燈光，延續台北的繁華。

馬路上的喧囂也加速淡出，市區裡的音響，被象山山腳的蛙鳴取代。走近一聽，這邊「呱、呱、呱……」，

那邊「嘓、嘓、嘓……」，交織出青蛙的混聲合唱。夜晚的台灣，變身成難得一見的賞蛙天堂。

WOW!原來如此

It's not my cup of tea

「a cup of tea」是「 一杯茶」，但是在此是譬喻。

例如有人問你：「 Would you like to go ice-skating tomorrow evening with me？」（你願意明天晚上跟我一起去溜冰嗎？）

若不喜歡溜冰的話，你可以這麼回答：「Ice-skating is not really my cup of tea, would you like to go to the cinema instead？」（我真的不怎麼喜歡溜冰，改成看電影好不好？）

It’s not my cup of tea = I don’t like it.「不是我的茶」意思就是「我不喜歡」。

Toads

「Toad」是蟾蜍、癩蛤蟆。

例如：「Toads have shorter legs and are usually more clumsy than frogs.」 （蟾蜍的腳比青蛙短，通常不如青蛙靈活。）

文中形容：「The toes of tree frogs enable them to climb nimbly among leaves and branches. 」（……樹蛙趾蹼成吸盤狀，可輕巧地在枝葉間攀爬……）「toes」與「Toad」讀音還滿像的。

也有人會用「Toad」形容「令人討厭的卑鄙小人」。

Nimbly

「Nimbly」是「敏捷、機靈地」。例如：「Nimbly he climbed to the top of the building.」 （他敏捷地爬上了房頂。）

This July, the Taipei City Government designated six easily accessible mountain trails as frog watching trails. One of them, Elephant Mountain Trail, starts at Zhong qiang Park, which is located outside Xian shan MRT Station at the end of the Xinyi Line. It's adjacent to office buildings and multi-million-dollar luxury homes, placing it amid prime real estate.

The other designated trails are Tianmu Old Trail in the Shi lin District, Da gouxi Trail in the Neihu District, Xian jiyan Trail in the Wen shan District, and Tiger Mountain Creek Trail and Tiaomi Old Trail in the Xinyi District.

What's so special about urban frog watching？

Yang Yi ju, associate professor of natural resources and environmental studies at National Dong Hwa University, explains that there are over 6,000 species of frogs and toads in the world. Though only 33 of them are found in Taiwan, the country ranks top in the world for frog population density.

Even more interesting is that a third of Taiwan's frog species are tree frogs. These include the Taipei tree frog（Rha cophorus taipeianus）, the Mientien tree frog（Kurixalus idiootocus）, and the farmland tree frog（Rhacophorus arvalis）. The toes of tree frogs are shaped like suction cups, enabling them to climb nimbly among leaves and branches. Their skin color varies from light to dark green depending on the environment, and they're quite delightful in appearance. "Taiwan really is a frog watching paradise," says Yang.

Yang, hailed as the “frog princess,” has traveled to many countries to study frogs. She says that though Africa is indeed a wildlife paradise, nobody dares venture out after nightfall for fear of attack by wild animals. And in places like Thailand or Sarawak, Malaysia, poor signage means that you could spend five or six hours looking for the right path, so a frog watching trip there often ends up like a journey through a maze.

Moreover, when frogging in countries that, though rich in natural resources, are underdeveloped, you risk contracting dengue fever from mosquito bites. So the safest, most convenient and most suitable place for family frog watching is Taiwan.

“And now with the MRT system in Taipei, frog watching trails are easily accessible. They're like your own back yard,” says Yang.

Fuyang and Zhong qiang Parks in downtown Taipei are both considered hallowed ground for the Taipei tree frog in the minds of frog lovers. But if you go, don't look just for Taipei tree frogs: make sure you don't forget other frog species such as Brauer's tree frog（Polypedates braueri）and Günther's frog（Hylarana guentheri）.

For a fun and educational frog watching trip, you would do well to study frog field guides; you can also find recordings of different frog species' calls online. But more pro-level frog watching activities are also available, led by expert guides.

For example, on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, Yang Yi ju alternates between the Waziwei wetland in Bali, New Taipei City, and Taichung Metropolitan Park in Taichung, leading groups（often of more than 20 people）on frog watching excursions, where they keep track of frog species. And Su Sheng xiong, a retired elementary school science teacher who has championed environmental education for years, now trains local frogging volunteers to teach visitors to Zhong qiang Park and Elephant Mountain Trail about the local frogs and natural ecology.

If frog watching in the city isn't your cup of tea, you can take a stroll on the forest trails of Yang ming shan and enjoy a frogging trip truly free from the disturbance of noise. Last year, Yang Yi ju mapped out 16 frog watching trails there. She especially recommends the Mian tian ping Trail, for which the Mien tien tree frog is named, and the Erziping Trail, which connects to it. Common to this area are the Taipei tree frog, Eiffinger's tree frog（Kurixalus eiffingeri）, the common Chinese tree frog（Hyla chinensis）and the Bankor toad（Bufo bankorensis）.

Yangmingshan's Zhuzihu area, known throughout Taiwan for its calla lily fields, is another superb frog habitat because of all the ponds. Here, you can find the common Chinese tree frog, the Indian cricket frog（Fejer varya limnocharis）, the olive frog（Babina adenopleura）, the Taipei tree frog, and Eif finger's tree frog. It's a rich resource for frog watching.

Taxonomically, toads are actually frogs, belonging to the order Anura. But popularly, toads are distinguished by their coarse skin, short legs and slow movements, while frogs have smooth, moist skin and slender limbs built for jumping. Says Yang, a 2012 survey of Yang ming shan National Park found 19 frog and toad species, well over half of Taiwan's 33 species. With such a high share of species, this place is clearly a prime breeding ground for frogs.

Taiwan is truly a frog watching paradise, and Taipei is the most convenient place in Taiwan for frogging. Whether you live in Taipei or are just visiting, don't forget that every day is Frog Day.

台北市政府今年七月選出六條適合民眾出遊賞蛙的淺山步道，其中，象山步道位在台北捷運信義線終點象山站對面的中強公園，附近都是商業大樓與房價上億的豪宅，因此在所有步道裡面「身價」最高。

其他入選的步道，包括士林區天母古道、內湖區大溝溪步道、文山區仙跡岩步道，以及同屬信義區的虎山溪步道與糶米古道。

城市賞蛙，有什麼稀奇？東華大學自然資源與環境學系副教授楊懿如表示，全世界的青蛙和蟾蜍多達六千多種，目前在台灣雖只能看到三十三種，但就單位面積的蛙類密度而言，台灣在全世界排名數一數二。

更特別的是，台灣三分之一的蛙類屬於台北樹蛙、面天樹蛙、諸羅樹蛙等樹蛙類青蛙，特色是，趾蹼與趾端膨大成吸盤狀，可輕巧地在枝葉間攀爬，綠色的膚色可隨環境變深或變淺，外型討喜可愛，趣味性極高。「台灣真的是賞蛙的天堂。」楊懿如說。

其實，這番肺腑之言一點都不為過，因為除了青蛙的可看性之外，環境絕佳，也是台灣成為賞蛙天堂的主因。

為了賞蛙，人稱「青蛙公主」的楊懿如旅行許多國家。她說，非洲是動物的樂園，但入夜後，沒人膽敢冒著被野生動物攻擊的危險外出；而在泰國或馬來西亞砂勞越，即使在國家公園裡也沒有清楚的路標，光是找路就花了五、六個鐘頭，賞蛙之旅往往變成了迷宮之旅。

而且，有青蛙的地方也有蚊子，在生態自然資源豐富但發展落後的國家賞蛙，得冒被蚊子叮咬引發登革熱的風險。因此，最安全、便利，且最適合闔家賞蛙的地方，就在台灣。

「特別是在台北，有了捷運之後，賞蛙步道就跟自家花園一樣，近在咫尺。」楊懿如說。

台北市區內的富陽公園與中強公園，都是蛙迷們心目中的台北樹蛙聖地，造訪時，除了聚焦台北樹蛙，也別忽略白頷樹蛙、貢德氏赤蛙等其他蛙種。

說穿了，賞蛙，除了趣味，還有頗高的知識門檻。因此，一般民眾想要完成一趟寓教於樂的賞蛙之旅，除了事前研讀青蛙圖鑑、上網聽聽各種蛙類不同的叫聲之外，更Pro（專家）級的賞蛙，則得借助達人導覽帶路。

譬如，每月第二和第四個周六，楊懿如分別在新北市八里挖仔尾溼地和台中都會公園，帶領二十多位有興趣的民眾賞蛙並記錄蛙類生態；推廣環境教育多年的國小自然科退休教師蘇盛雄，目前則在社區培訓「蛙蛙義工」，準備日後對民眾介紹中強公園與象山步道的青蛙和自然生態。

若覺得市區賞蛙不過癮，不妨往陽明山森林步道走去，來場真正不受噪音干擾的賞蛙之旅。楊懿如去年在此規畫了十六條賞蛙步道，其中，特別推薦面天坪步道，以及與之連接的二子坪步道。常在這個區域現身的，有台北樹蛙、面天樹蛙、艾式樹蛙、中國樹蟾與盤古蟾蜍等。

此外，以海芋田聞名全台的陽明山竹子湖，因水澤遍布，更是絕佳的蛙類棲地，常見中國樹蟾、澤蛙、腹斑蛙、台北樹蛙、艾式樹蛙等蛙類，賞蛙資源非常豐富。

蟾蜍與青蛙都是蛙類，最明顯的外型區別是，蟾蜍皮膚粗糙、四肢粗短、行動緩慢，青蛙則皮膚光潤溼滑、四肢細長善於跳躍。楊懿如表示，陽明山國家公園非常適合蛙類繁衍，二○一二年在此調查到十九種蛙類，占全台三十三種蛙類的三分之二，比例相當高。

台灣是賞蛙的天堂，台北則是天堂裡接近蛙類最方便的地方。住在台北，或來台北旅遊，別忘了，台北天天可賞蛙。

文／朱立群 圖／林格立

（摘錄轉載自103年8月《台灣光華雜誌》

全文請參考http://www.taiwan-panorama.com/）