Timing is everything. I felt this acutely as I sat down to write this column, and then couldn’t remember the topic I’d settled on earlier in the week.
Luckily, I had waited until the end of the day to do my writing or I may have never recalled the erstwhile planned topic.
But as I sat there, evening sounds drifted through the open window nagging at my subconscious. Suddenly the evening concert brought it back to me — I wanted to write about spring peepers!
Driving in the car earlier in the week, my daughter and I listened to a nature podcast, and I retained the tidbit that some frogs freeze over winter, even growing ice crystals between their cells.
Most likely this was not the first time I learned this — but alas, my memory is terrible for information I don’t use regularly. Now I wanted to revisit the topic.
The swamp above my house is a home to these chorus frogs. As a child, I loved going to the edge of this vernal pool and seeing the strings of frog eggs. I did a home-school project, both research and observation based, on frogs’ lifecycles. While doing my observations I visited the swamp daily, and made drawings of the developmental stages of egg to tadpole, to froglets, etc.
I have a strong memory of being very lucky and seeing an adult peeper, clinging to some reeds. It had an inflated neck which was slightly translucent. I’ve wondered how accurate this memory could be.
When looking up information about spring peepers, I found photos confirming my recollection — these frogs inflate round sacks on their necks, and as they push air into them it goes across their vocal chords making the peeping sound we hear in the spring time.
Males sing in the spring to attract females. The male with the deepest song will usually start the chorus off.
Judging by the number of frogs I hear on spring evenings, these days, I think the pond harbored a larger population when I was younger. I’ve wondered if the structure of the swamp has changed, or if weather pattern changes have affected it.
When I was younger the pond had standing water throughout the spring and early summer, and would just dry up in the hottest months. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed it dry up intermittently throughout spring as well as summer.
Spring peepers like vernal pools, but maybe this one doesn’t suit their needs as well as it used to. My consolation is that spring peepers seem to be abundant in other nearby areas.
These tree frogs are small — only a little over an inch, max. Good climbers, while singing they stay pretty low on trees (8 inches or less off the ground typically).
Spring peepers are one of only five frog species in North America which can freeze in the winter time, and return to life in the spring.
Other frogs bury themselves to get away from the coldest temperature. But spring peepers hibernate in mud, logs, or under leaves. They create an antifreeze, which keeps their cells from completely freezing, but ice crystals can form between their cells.
The little frogs’ hearts even stop beating, and they appear to be dead. Scientists don’t know what triggers their hearts and organs to start functioning again.
Since I learned that these frogs stay low to the ground while singing, I may try to spot one again some evening as their chorus begins.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, previously writing for The Dominion Post. She uses experience gained working on organic farms in Europe to help her explore possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County. Email columns@dominionpost.com
