it's not easy being green

Toad Hollow, Davis. Did I ever tell you the story of the Davis Toad Tunnel? Several years back, the powers-that-be needed to build a big road right through the middle of the home of a large population of toads (it might have been frogs but the alliteration of toads with tunnels is nicer). The city was, er, swamped with complaints. They decided that to help the toads get across the road (remember the game Frogger? Very influential in urban planning) they would build a tunnel under the road, the ‘toad tunnel’. Nice idea. But then all the local snakes thought, hello, they built us a nice tunnel, that was nice of them, and it has a free constant supply of toads for us to eat too. So the city thought, ok we’ll put lights in the tunnel so the toads can see if there are any snakes lurking. But the snakes just waited outside, grabbing them as they popped out. So the city decided to fool the snakes and build a little house – a post office, in fact – for the toads to go into the access the tunnel. Nice idea. Toads delighted. And then all the toads starting burning their backs on the lightbulbs in the tunnel, which were hot and not the energy-efficient ones you get nowadays, and the city just said, oh leave it then, we gave you a flippin' post office, write and complain to your senator or something, we have better things to do than worry about a load of bloody frogs or whatever you are. Of course that lost them the amphibian vote (the famous tadpole-mom demographic), but, y’know, in local politics those are the risks you have to take.

Incidentally, they really are pretend solar panels on the roof. This is Davis, after all.