Gertrude and Prince Charming - a Love Story

Okay, so this isn't your conventional love story.  In fact, maybe it's not a love story at all.  Maybe one of you can help me out.

I've searched on the web but haven't found information that I want.  Okay, first, let me introduce you to the couple.  This is Prince Charming and this is Gertrude, um, with Prince Charming:   .

     I found them late yesterday morning while I was surveying all the weeding that needs to be done in my largest flower garden.  In fact, they startled me; I nearly stepped on them.

     Believing that they needed a private moment, I detoured away from them and left them alone.  Okay, so I stopped to take a couple pictures of them first.

     When Hubby called me at lunch, I mentioned the pair.  We made a few toad jokes and forgot them until he came home from work last evening.  He checked out the area and they were still there!  Same basic grassy area, same well, nothing had changed. And, as I had done earlier, he left them to their privacy after he snapped some pictures.

       Now, would you believe this morning, weeding tools loaded up in a wheelbarrow, I started out to the garden and darn if they weren't out there again!  At least they had moved but they were still, um, together. 

     Now, I've always been curious and last night I searched toad mating habits on the web.  None of them made reference to this ritual taking place over the course of several hours.  I called my friend, Janet (thank Goodness for unlimited long distance), and she claimed to be toad-ally green about such matters.  Her husband didn't seem to know any more than the rest of us; in fact, he was quite caught up with the fact that strong winds outside had picked up and ripped off half of the large tree across the street from them.  (Men! How can they concentrate on things like tornadic winds when we have two toads who may be either permanently stuck together or a freak of Nature in that one had grown on the back of the other?!)

     Well, anyway, Hubby this morning decided he was going to mow the area they were staying in (he mowed around them last night) and she apparently decided that she had had enough of my watching them, as she slowly started moving toward the garden. 

     He hopped off her back for a moment (oh, good - Nature hadn't formed a 2-for-1 frog) but he did climb back aboard once she made it over the stones that line that end of the garden.  So...I am wondering - could this smaller frog be injured?  Do they give each other a lift in this manner?  Or is Prince Charming just a real animal who refuses to leave Gertrude alone? 

    If you can enlighten me, please drop me a line or leave a comment.  In fact, leave me a comment, anyway - it will qualify you for this month's Giftaway! 

      For now, I'll leave you with some other colors of Nature.  Thanks for stopping by!