National Frog Fest 2025

Andy Baker put on one heck of a gathering for poison frog enthusiasts!  350 like-minded folks descended on Ann Arbor, Michigan last weekend to celebrate all things poison frogs, other amphibians, and vivarium plants and supplies.  This was the second year of the festival, and by the look of it, it’ll be happening again next year.

There was a meet-and-greet on Saturday night, but we were pretty tired after a long day of exploring Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Saline. We haven’t spent much time in the area, so we really wanted to check it out.

NFF 2025 started with a couple of great presentations. The first presentation was “Poison Frog Husbandry 101” with Jacob Van Keuren. Great talk! The other talk was “Tesoros and the Active Conservation Alliance” with Ivan Lozano Ortega. “Founded by International conservationist Ivan Lozano, Tesoros de Colombia and Tesoro Frogs promote ethical bio-commerce by providing an alternative to the illegal pet trade, ensuring that rare and endangered species are preserved through sustainable practices.” I simply can’t stress how important it is to support endeavors like Tesoros to cripple the illegal poison frog trade. The Active Conservation Alliance (ACA) is a grassroots effort to “help restore balance in our ecosystems.” As a community, we have to be proactive to help preserve the rainforests and animals in them for future generations to enjoy.

There were so many great vendors at NFF 2025, including Glass Box Tropicals, FrogDaddy, and Verdant Vivariums. We picked up several new frogs and lots of amazing plants. We got to meet so many prominent frog and plant folks.

I really can’t praise Andy enough for putting the event together and bringing so many amazing froggers to his event. I think everyone left the event inspired and invigorated and ready to start planning for National Frog Fest 2026!