The frog sat upright on the black-green velvet of a forest path. Once upon a time, there had been a narrow road cut into the hillside, but over time it turned into an ordinary path, along which a wall appeared, becoming an extended mini-garden of mosses and lichens. Sometimes such places in the forest are the most interesting for observation. And this tree frog, the owner of a wonderful camouflage resembling "pine forest litter," turned out to be an accidental guest here, completely giving itself away with its beige-brown skin. The harmony of such a contrast was simply enchanting, and I took some pictures. When these photos appeared on my social media page, my friends, who are also wildlife enthusiasts, were inspired. One of them wrote: "This would look great on fabric!" Without thinking twice, I replied, "Okay, someday I’ll paint this on canvas." Thus, the common tree frog Polypedates leucomystax, found everywhere in pine and broad-leaved forests and often making its way into the houses of local residents, became the first forest character to inspire the creation of this series of mini-paintings.

Common tree frogs, as a group of species, are so widespread that they are not considered endangered. The coloring of their small bodies is quite variable, with different shades of grey, green, yellow, reddish, or dark brown. Usually, like the frog in the picture, they are unevenly spotted, often with four stripes along the back. The common tree frog, found everywhere in both pine and broad-leaved forests, is far from rare. Yet its diversity in coloration—from grey to green, yellow, reddish, and dark brown—makes each encounter unique. Often, they are spotted with four stripes along their back, a characteristic that adds to their charm.