The vernal equinox

It is rounding around to the vernal equinox. Here in Yarmouth the Equinox or "equal night" is today March 16th, 2014. 
Look it up for your location.
http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox

Spring is just a notion here-- a tease. The old Farmers Almanac says that on May 2nd we will finally have dropped the probability of a frost to 50%.
Tonight it will be 5 degrees and there is snow coming to the mid-Atlantic.
Flowers on snow. Enjoy the light and shelter your tender blooms of all types -- whether new ideas or the buds of flowers.

http://www.cleveland.com/insideout/index.ssf/2011/03/protecting_spring_blooms_from.html

The first chorus of spring: Peepers

Frog show - Images by Sharon McDonnell

On March 20-- exactly the spring equinox
the amphibian universe activated in Maine

The biological chorus switched on.

The air is wet and cool, sweet with spring and as our car travels
through the tunnel of light down Sligo road
Cued by rising temperature and enough hours of light

the earths' quickening comes as harmony

The Spring Peepers aka "pinkletinks" or tinkletoes

sing A hue and cry,

Hallaluah! the love songs of frogs and toads

sweet enough to break your heart

Here in Maine they hibernate until spring and

when they emerge the nights are capricious

but the frogs can freeze and recover.

It is magic and even if it is not

it is

magical

When the conditions are right they move

to the edges of lakes and wetlands

Males call to the females who listen very carefully to their songs and then decide which to join.

If you click on the "Play Button" you can hear

Songs of the army or the knot (the official name of a group!)

In the audio files below they can give the song for each type of frog and toad.

Interesting....Did you know that what a frog says and
how it says it depends on what it is trying to communicate!

Imagine what we are missing because we do not speak any frog!

Listen to Frog songs 

If you want to see more frogs and toads search the website

or check previous posts on one of our favorite animals.