Eos Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) It's happening! Amphibians here are thawed out (yes, the wood frogs freeze to overwinter, their blood contains an anti-freeze-like substance) and are making their move to vernal pools and ponds. It's a bit of a party here, with folks out monitoring, watching, and waving to cars to slow down. Tell me about your vernal pools! https://mainebignight.org/ Edited March 28 by Eos 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 So cool! 🐸 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I will be on the lookout down at the pond down the road and our neighbor's vernal pool tonight if it keep raining! Thanks for the head's up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 We have two frog pools in our backyard. The spring peepers and cricket frogs are active. I haven't seen any ranids (mostly leopard and bronze frogs, here) or grey/green tree frogs yet. The greys have the same antifreeze that wood frogs do, but need a lot less of it since our winters are much milder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 6 hours ago, Kalmia said: I will be on the lookout down at the pond down the road and our neighbor's vernal pool tonight if it keep raining! Thanks for the head's up. Yeah, now I'm definitely going out hiking in the rain this weekend! Dumb question, but how does one find salamanders? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 20 minutes ago, MEmama said: Yeah, now I'm definitely going out hiking in the rain this weekend! Dumb question, but how does one find salamanders? If it's wet, some will be out on sticks, leaves, etc, moving from stream to stream, or on rocks in the stream. They tend to like flowing water more than ponding water. We once did a herping trip in drizzle, and it was wet enough they were literally climbing us! If it's dryer, they'll be under cover. Salamanders lay earlier than frogs, so you may see larval ones in moving water now, too-here they lay in January! Fully aquatic ones like mudpuppies and sirens will be in moving water. Some parts of the Eastern US, especially in mountains, have huge salamander populations-they're estimated to be the largest single animal biomass in the Great smokies-which says a lot when you think of how many salamanders it takes to add up to one black bear! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 (edited) For us, the box turtles are out (lots of rain of late) and looking for places to lay eggs. We have some really big ones, usually 12-18”. Not sure what kind they are. Edited March 29 by Sneezyone 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eos Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 13 hours ago, MEmama said: Yeah, now I'm definitely going out hiking in the rain this weekend! Dumb question, but how does one find salamanders? Not dumb at all! Last night we just walked onto the road from our driveway and assisted 40 yellow-spotted salamanders over the road. We also helped 6 wood frogs - they are just starting to thaw out and I bet we will see lots of them tonight. We also saw quite a few wood frogs squished by cars, sad. They all move after dark, hiding from predators, towards water. The majority of the salamanders we saw were closest to where a culvert goes under the road, heading for the giant wetland behind our house. We went out at 8 and by ten were seeing fewer of them but they will move all night. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eos Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 12 hours ago, Dmmetler said: They tend to like flowing water more than ponding water. Up here they are seeking vernal pools, but my girls saw one last night jump into a fast-flowing little stream and zip along, then she crawled out and kept marching. Yellow-spotted salamanders, wood frogs, and fairy shrimp are the obligate species for a true vernal pool definition here, though I know other locations use different ones for theirs. We have all three in the wetland behind our house and I love to think of the frogs and salamanders trekking and hopping their way across the yard at night to the water. Blue-spotted salamanders are also part of the local vernal pool definition but I don't usually see those. Easter is the first sunny day in the forecast so that afternoon we expect to first hear the wood frogs, who sound just exactly like ducks quacking. Peepers will follow within about a week. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I've been playing a rhythm game with my music students for the last week which, among other things, includes "croaking" rhythms. It's been kind of fun to see just how aware some of my students are about local frog calls 🙂 The fowler's toad, which sounds kind of like a sheep, is particularly popular. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.