A little night music...

This afternoon for the first time in 6 months, I heard peepers! Yes that lovely frog sound that starts just before dusk that lets you know that Spring has sprung and Summer is coming soon on its heels!

Growing up in Bolton, we had a little pond that was fed by a little brook. This time of year the woods could get swollen with vernal pools that are ripe for frog, salamander and toad eggs. The tree frogs could basically hibernate under logs or inside bark, mostly frozen, for the winter. But as soon as a big thaw came their music would sound.

First the males, who make a twangy-croak, randomly, usually in March. The winter has lasted so long and cold, that I'd only heard a few before tonight. Then, within days it seems the female frogs wake to the sound of the males warm overtures. Next thing you know, the night air is full of frog music and  eggs will soon be present in the vernal pools, round the edges of bogs and lodged on stick in a pond.

The babies are so cute with their pollywog tails still attached as they learn to climb. I've only seen that once in my life, when I was working at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, as an Audubon Naturalist. That Spring I was monitoring the daily development of the population of tree frogs at the Farm and explaining the cycles to elementary school kids. It was that year that I saw some of the young frogs making the transition from water to land frogs, and one maturing frog starting to climb with it's tail still attached!

Now living in Acton, there is a 60 acre Arboretum three house lots from my door and attached to it, and stretching all the way to our street, is a great bog. The Arboretum has two ponds connected by a lively brook, as well as the bog and a sizable kettle pond, that appears to be spring fed. I taught my kids how to catch frogs, first with nets and then with their bare hands in the larger stream fed ponds. I'll never forget when they first caught them and could hold them long enough for the frogs to whine-croak to be let go. The kids thought it was hysterical!

The frogs are also a good snack for the Great Horned and Barred Owls that nest in the Arboretum. Usually they go for furry tidbits, like squirrels, chipmunks, moles, voles and shrews, but I've seen some funny looking bones in some owl pellets that I think were of the frog persuasion.

The frogs and bats keep my yard fairly free of bugs. I'm a no pesticide gardener. I love it when the tree frogs and ladybugs move into my tomato plants. A sure sign that everything is in balance!

So tonight, for the second night in a row, I'm going to sleep with the window open. Faint strains of Peeper's music at the periphery of the cool dark night air.

Good Night, Chorus Frog, G'night!