March is here, and the local amphibians are awakening and calling their mates. They are announcing their arrival by their distinct calls. And that in turn, is amping up all the folks who love them. The gauntlet has been thrown down. So from the west side to the east, the annual swamp entourage mobilizes. These are people from all over town who are into all things slimy as they gravitate towards swamps and marshes and vernal pools with one thing on their minds….frogs. And, to make things even more fun, if that is possible, a little friendly competition has been burbling along and ramps up each March. So, for about four weeks, this group fans out in their wellies hoping to be the first to hear and record the peepers, or perhaps they will catch the wood frogs quacking in their vernal pools or toads taking to the water and trilling. Be still my heart. Some of the entourage operates only when the sun goes down, some are cagey about revealing the locale of the calling frogs. But they are all in. A few are lucky enough to have their own personal swamps and sunny shacks which skirt the swamps, giving them a definite leg up in the competition. There is a rush across town of who will hear what and where are these swamps and vernal pools that have come alive as the temperature creeps up.
A Gray Treefrog enjoying the spring warmth after hibernating through the bitter cold of winter under rotting logs, rocks or leaf litter.
Many of these amphibians do not make it easy on us as the peepers are tiny and tan with a small x on their back, and they are most often heard but not seen. The wood frogs are a little bigger but also very wary. They sport a fetching mask a la raccoon and quack like little ducks in their favorite vernal pools, but they clam up if one does not tread lightly. Before long, the toads will head to the water trilling and mating, which seems like such a wonderful combination. Closer to summer, the grey tree frogs, largely solitary ,will chime in, and their calls often foreshadow a thunderstorm or rain event. They too are more often heard than seen.
And to make us appreciate these diminutive amphibians even more, it helps to admire their ability to withstand freezing temperatures after they have emerged from the deep freeze of winter. This is largely thanks to a glucose cryoptrotectant which keeps cells from freezing. It is also helpful to add that vocabulary word to your arsenal if you are hoping to fit in with the swamp entourage.
If I am lucky enough to come face to face with one of these Spring Peepers , believe me an apology will be forthcoming. I’ll be thinking back to Dr. Fell’s Zoology 101 class when frog dissection was the order of the day. And there on our lab tables awaited frogs, kin folk to these delicate Peepers, their calls silenced. I was poised with a sharp instrument as we opened their chest cavity . I still have not forgotten that day and all those tiny organs spilling forth. I am afraid my apology is late and many times removed. Perhaps it will be met with glassy eyes or a turned head, but it sure is worth trying.
An attempt at an apology is always worth it.