When I was a child one of my favorite spring memories is going for walks at night with my folks around our neighborhood. A creek runs through the development in which Spring Peepers come to mate every spring. The males sing their little songs in hopes of finding a friend. Their little love songs are so cheerful and bright. The peepers herald in the spring season with a happy melody. If you want to hear them this website has a recording:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/northern_spring_peeper.html
A second vivid spring peeper memory occurred during my days at Glenville State College. I can not remember if it was my Sophomore or Junior year, but one of the two I took Vertebrate Zoology. We had to collect animals from all the different categories and preserve them. It was quite the gruesome task. One evening my friend, Mountain Man, and I went looking for amphibians. We found a marsh-like area behind Foodland in town, where there were hundreds of frogs. Mountain Man collected a couple dozen of the little creatures for his zoology collection, and I'm sure to feed his snakes. He put the frogs on his desk next to the window. They sang out for several nights in the courtyard of the dorm. We could all hear them because we did not have air conditioning in the dorms, so our windows were open year round.
I was reminded of these happy memories when I was driving home from yoga on Wednesday night this week. I zoomed past a ditch with a chorus of peepers, and I got really homesick for a walk with my folks for a few minutes. I hope I can find a place to let Bethany hear Spring Peepers this spring. The water moves too fast here at the lake, and there is not much vegetative cover for them since the caretaker keeps the grass mowed down. Maybe we will have a frog quest this season. There are so many different and interesting frog songs. Toads sing too. Happy Listening!
When I was a child one of my favorite spring memories is going for walks at night with my folks around our neighborhood. A creek runs through the development in which Spring Peepers come to mate every spring. The males sing their little songs in hopes of finding a friend. Their little love songs are so cheerful and bright. The peepers herald in the spring season with a happy melody. If you want to hear them this website has a recording: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/northern_spring_peeper.html
A second vivid spring peeper memory occurred during my days at Glenville State College. I can not remember if it was my Sophomore or Junior year, but one of the two I took Vertebrate Zoology. We had to collect animals from all the different categories and preserve them. It was quite the gruesome task. One evening my friend, Mountain Man, and I went looking for amphibians. We found a marsh-like area behind Foodland in town, where there were hundreds of frogs. Mountain Man collected a couple dozen of the little creatures for his zoology collection, and I'm sure to feed his snakes. He put the frogs on his desk next to the window. They sang out for several nights in the courtyard of the dorm. We could all hear them because we did not have air conditioning in the dorms, so our windows were open year round. 
I was reminded of these happy memories when I was driving home from yoga on Wednesday night this week. I zoomed past a ditch with a chorus of peepers, and I got really homesick for a walk with my folks for a few minutes. I hope I can find a place to let Bethany hear Spring Peepers this spring. The water moves too fast here at the lake, and there is not much vegetative cover for them since the caretaker keeps the grass mowed down. Maybe we will have a frog quest this season. There are so many different and interesting frog songs. Toads sing too. Happy Listening!
We've been hearing lots of spring peepers, defintely a sign of Spring!
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