He’d been living alone since his wife died, and every morning was the same—until one day he discovered something peculiar among the shoots. Hundreds of little, translucent eggs with a bluish-gray tinge were scattered across an area of land where a light rain had recently fallen. They were strewn as if someone had purposefully spread them out. Thomas hadn’t seen anything like it before. The eggs seemed too big for insects and too little for birds.

He chose not to touch them and instead took photographs, which he submitted to a local biologist. The next day, specialists from the University of Nebraska arrived. After inspecting the site, they concluded that it was neither an anomaly nor a biological hazard. Thomas discovered a clutch of amphibian eggs from a species known as the spotted tree frog, which scientists say is becoming more abundant in the region due to climate change and increased humidity.

What was odd was that the eggs were on the soil rather than in water, which is more common. According to biologists, the female may have placed the eggs in a temporary puddle produced between rows of plants during a strong rain. Perhaps she made a mistake—or attempted to adapt to the new circumstances. To Thomas’ surprise, after a few days, little tadpoles hatch from some of the eggs. He set aside a little area and filled it with water to allow them to continue growing. Unfortunately, the remaining eggs perished since the dirt dried very rapidly.