BLOG 16: From Winter Into Spring

It’s been a chilly spring here in the Poconos so far. Well, I guess every spring starts of chilly, right? It would be more accurate to say this has been a very indecisive spring. I think nature is conflicted right now…spring doesn’t want to get out of bed and winter doesn’t want to go to sleep. For those who play Facebook with me that’s an old observation but I’m adding to it some new pictures! That’s a good thing, right? Well, whether it is or isn’t your there and I’m here and together we are going to forge ahead  . . . and you can jump blog at any time!

I am so surprised at how almost any time of the year you can still find creepy crawlies if you just take a moment or two and poke around  (like you have nothing better to do on a cold winter’s afternoon) 

These ice-glazed winterberries (Ilex verticillata) were photographed on January 25^th!

And a few feet away, animal tracks in the snow (squirrel?)

And a short distance from that I tore a log from the frozen earth and under it what did I discover? A tank bug ( pill bug, woodlouse...etc)  It was alive and moving…although very slowly.

There are always little beasties about, struggling to survive in the elements if you know where to look.

Here are  some more random pics I took with my cheapo Best Buy camera documenting the gradual return of critter life to the Pocono Mountains!

Here, you can see the lay of the land on March 15^th. It was still pretty cold and there was plenty of snow around.

But just on a whim I went outside and started flipping over some stones and check this out! A cricket!

I really had no idea they were up and about in suck cold weather. And how about this! A wooly bear! (Tiger Moth caterpillar-Pyrrharctia isabella)

Again, I had no idea they were active and wooliying around in the winter months! And just as I'm type this I found this interesting tidbit on Wikipedia,

"...woolly bear larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form, when it literally freezes solid. It survives being frozen by producing a cryoprotectant in its tissues. In the spring it thaws out and emerges to pupate"

Who knew!?? And interestingly, as I mentioned in a previous Kieran's Critters (BLOG 14: A Critter in the Snow!) this rock remained a good source of salamanders from December all the way through March. Here’s the stone surrounded by white stuff on March 21^st and yet another salamander that was hiding under it!

On March 31^st when I was heading out at the end of the day I saw flocks of migrating geese were passing over the house. I grabbed my camera and got a shot of the very last V formation before the sun went down. Its times like this (many times like this) that I wish I had a zoom lens that actually did something!

April 1^st was when it really seemed that Mother Nature was taking this spring thing seriously and was going to commit to warming things up! You can't trust too many folks on Fools' Day but this Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)  that slithered into our yard seemed real enough!

By April 3^rd the white crud had almost entirely melted way and little bits of green were starting to blossom around the property.

And that brings us to today! By the way, how are you liking this? I’m a bit rushed today so I’m just packing in the photos with much less exposition! I actually think most of you will prefer this photo heavy, rhetoric lite approach (because if you don't I know I'm going to hear about it!)

Anyway, I drove off yesterday to a small, barely used park in my area that I don’t think most people here even know about (In fact I know they don’t know about it) and I wandered around to see what I might find! It was about 50 degrees today so not chilly but certainly not entirely comfortable either.

Here’s a nice little section of the creek that runs through the park. I’ve never seen any creatures in it besides Blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) and water striders even in the middle of summer but I’m sure it must harbor other wildlife I’ve just never spotted.

In addition to countless Red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) I found here’s a beautiful, almost golden colored, Northern Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata) ( see BLOG 13 ) My cruddy little camera really doesn't capture it's true radiance!

But this was what was most interesting to me. Yep, this muddy spit of seepage believe it or not. I know,   not very picturesque!

But when you slog through the mud and get right up over it and the sun hits the water just right it really is quite beautiful. I love the color of all the leaves and plant matter lying still in orangey, iron rich mud. 

Being careful not to step in the water and injure any aquatic denizen’s further examination of this puddle revealed amphibious egg masses!

This, by the way, is why I’m not thrilled with a popular activity in these parts called “off roading” where people (mostly young guys) drive all-terrain vehicles (ATV) or QUADS or whatever else  through the woods, delighting in splashing through water filled ditches. Very often they’re smashing right through little worlds like this. It’s perfectly legal and wood frogs (these are Wood frog eggs) aren’t endangered…but it just bothers me! I know, you're rolling your eyes and playing  a tiny violin. Hey, if I can’t make a fuss on my own blog where can I??

Anyway, I was getting increasingly cold squatting  on the spongy banks of this ditch as cold orange goo seeped into my sneakers but I was intent of snapping at least 1 picture of a wood frog. I have no idea how long I was sitting there (too long) but I finally saw some movement and gently pulled some leaves aside and grabbed the quick shot of a submerged wood frog.

This time of year in the chilled water of their breeding pools they seem to be this almost black color but later in the year they are a light tan and occasionally I have fond ones that are almost red or even pinkish! And I’m not proud of admitting I harassed the thing but I did…just a bit. I poked the mud near him and when he hopped up and out onto the grassy bank I snapped this final spit second photograph

So there it is! I wish I had more time to explain and analyze and theorize and reflect but these are busy times for me and I’m happy I was at least able to bring you this brief survey of my findings over the past weeks and months.  I’ll be back sooner or later with more Kieran’s Critters! As always any questions or comments are always welcome!

If you have any complaints you can take ‘em to the nearest forest puddle you can find and deposit them in the orange mud.

Merry Meet and Merry Part and Merry Meet Again :)