Spring Peeper (Hyla crucifer)
Most of us recognize the high shrills of our spring peeper as a significant harbinger of spring. These are our first frog breeders, sometimes beginning as early as late February, but most commonly mid-March. For this important event in the ongoing life of peepers, the tiny frogs migrate to vernal pools, and pond and stream edges in meadows and woodlands, where the competition for mates commences.
Most of us recognize the high shrills of our spring peeper as a significant harbinger of spring. These are our first frog breeders, sometimes beginning as early as late February, but most commonly mid-March. For this important event in the ongoing life of peepers, the tiny frogs migrate to vernal pools, and pond and stream edges in meadows and woodlands, where the competition for mates commences. The males sing two types of songs…one is their ‘announcement or advertisement call’ and the other an ‘aggression call’. Both songs are issued from the approximately 12” diameter territory of each male, with the first call meant to attract females and the second to warn off other males.
Peepers are tree frogs, and when the mating season comes to an end, they return to the woodlands and edge habitats for a mostly solitary existence; eventually hibernating under leaves on the ground through the cold months and withstanding freezing temperatures by producing glucose as an anti-freeze. Their diet consists of small invertebrates.
Six years ago I took it upon myself to do a bit of field research into ‘that noisy bunch of frogs’. Below the north slope of our land lies a cow pasture through which Bridle Creek flows. In the lowest lying land, the meadow becomes a marsh in which our local clan of peepers congregates every spring. Their cacophonous peeping becomes nearly deafening at the height of their frenzy. This marshy area is temporary, so the business at hand must be accomplished before sunny summer days dry it out. It takes 1 ½ to 2 months for the tadpoles to develop into frogs, after a week of gestation. That gives them a window of less the 3 months…which is exactly right for this spot.
When I approached the meadow wetland, the closer I got to the breeders, the less they sang. This was during the early morning hours, but well after first light. From what I have learned, it might be easier to observe them at night, with a flashlight; but with a bit of patience, I was fully rewarded. Once I positioned myself in the middle of the marsh, I squatted and remained motionless. After 10 or 15 minutes they forgot I was there, and got back to work. Surrounding me were dozens of mating pairs along with hopeful males trilling in concert. I returned to this exhibition for several days in a row, watching, listening, and photographing the spectacle.
The first two pictures were taken in the meadow, the third in my yard at night…near a small artificial pond.
The Earthweek Eco-fair 2010
Thank you for sharing your art!
Sharing the wonders of nature with others is a great way to spread awareness and excitement.
Blue Ridge Discovery Center
brought natural wonders to the downtown mall in Charlottesville, Virginia. We focused on species local to the Central Virginia area, making the experience about local natural wonders.
It was a wonderful day of exploring, discovering, and sharing! Thanks to all that participated. We hope you had a wonderful time!
Red Eft
(juvenile eastern newt)
habitat.
Searching for critters.
Spring Peeper Habitat
Early Signs of Spring in the New River Valley
Bittercress is always the first wildflower by the river bottomland, but the exact species is hard to pin down. Both Pennsylvania bittercress (Cardamine pensylvanica) and hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsute) are small plants with tiny white flowers that bloom when the greens of wild onions are appearing and just before the purple carpet of ground ivy goes wild. Bittercress appears before a more showy mustard family member blankets the hayfields with gold (land cress, Barbarea verna). Spring peepers herald the earlier, white-blooming arrivals, usually the first March evenings after mild days. In many years of informal record keeping, late February is the earliest the amorous males begin calling, but this year the frog song began the second week of March. This past winter we had record-breaking snow and ice cover, for two months even in the lower elevations.
This winter was also unusual with huge ice bergs littering the river side. After a series of river freezes that normally occur when the temperatures dip down into the single digits or lower for a string of days, warm, rainy weather broke up the ice and cast it aside, creating huge ice sculptures on the banks. Most of the ice is gone now in the lower elevations, except for a few north-facing coves. Storm damage was also the worst in many years. Trail crews have been working hard to clear all the blow-downs on the Appalachian Trail, and parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville and Mount Mitchell will be closed until May. None of the trees are leafing out yet, but weeping willow will be the first, soon. A friend reported seeing white hepatica on the Virginia Creeper Trail near Abingdon. Daffodils are blooming and any other earlier bulbs that the deer did not eat. They ate all mine.