I Counted Frogs. I Lost Count of What It Cost.

Tonight I walked the wetlands again, headlamp flickering, counting frogs I used to hear in the thousands. Now I’m lucky if I see a handful. Every year, fewer voices, more silence. I tell myself it’s data, not grief, but I know the difference. I help a toad across the road and wonder if it’s the last time. I record the numbers, but I don’t write down how it feels to watch a world shrink in real time. People ask why I care so much. I wish I could explain how the emptiness creeps in—how losing them feels like losing a part of myself I can’t get back. #ScienceFatigue #FieldworkTruths #SilentExtinction #Science