Rare Blue Frog Found In Downers Grove Forest Preserve In County's First Sighting On Record

While on a nature walk in the Hidden Lake Forest Preserve in Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn resident Jerry Zamirowski made a rare discovery: a blue bullfrog.

The frog's coloration is the result of a genetic mutation, an ecologist told ABC Chicago.

Zamirowski told the Daily Herald that blue bullfrogs are "exceptionally rare," describing his discovery as "almost like finding a piece of a meteor." He told the newspaper it's likely that the frog he spotted, like many, can alter its coloration to blend in with its surroundings. To achieve the commonly-seen green color, most frogs produce blue and yellow pigmentation; Zamirowski believes his frog lacked the ability to produce yellow pigment.

The blue bullfrog sighting was the first on record in the county, NBC Chicago reports. DuPage County Forest Preserve District public affairs specialist Bonnie Olszewski told the station "we've never seen anything exactly like that before."

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