A toad of a different color

On our toad-ally awesome outing on 7/20/2016, Ned and I spotted this unusually pigmented Red-spotted Toad.

Photo by Ned Harris 7/20/2016

Ned asked David Lazaroff for his expert opinion. David wrote:

Something seems to have caused a loss of the typical reddish dorsal ground color. I suppose we should expect to come across some unusual natural variations, especially when such a large group of animals is assembled, but it's also possible that the odd coloration reflects the toad's physiological or emotional state. This isn't so strange. People go pale when frightened or cold, and they blush red when embarrassed or hot. Amphibians and reptiles sometimes change their appearance in similar ways.

Anne says: IOW, maybe s/he's just camera shy : -)