March 24, 1983 - Peepers: Chorus for SpringMarch 24, 1983 The Suffolk Times Page 13
TREE TOAD - -About this time of year male toads, frogs and peepers
come to our ponds to lure the females by song to mate. The jelly -like
masses await warm weather to hatch into the familiar tadpoles.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
Peepers: Chorus for Spring
By PAULSTOUTENBURGH
March 20th -- the first day of spring and
Mother Nature is right on time. The day
was beautiful and the evening brought
the spring peepers a 'chorusing. We've
all heard their high shrill peeping from
the ponds and wet areas about. As a
matter of fact there are those who live
near these calling places who probably
wish there was no such thing as spring
peepers because at close range they can
be overpowering.
It's quite something to walk into one of
these anvil choruses on a dark quiet
night. Before you the whole pond is
peeping in full force but as you approach
your footsteps are heard and a hush falls
over the area. Not a sound is heard. Then
as you stand motionless at the water's
edge, one then two start their peeping
then more and more join in until once
again the chorus is in full swing. Their
noisy voices seem to come from
everywhere -- in front of you, to the side --
you are surrounded by peepers calling.
Surely with so many all about, you are
confident it will be easy to see them. You
flip on the flashlight and the chorus drops
off as your beam moves about the black
glassy pond. Where are they? Did they go
below? Time goes on. Surely they'd have
to come up to breathe. They've got to be
here. Look closer. Concentrate the beam
in one spot. After a long search, you spot
one. How small it is. Can all that noise
come from such a small and dainty frog?
You bend down to get a closer look and
it disappears under the dead grass and
leaves that border the pond. More
searching and ahah, here's another one.
This one clings to a stalk of a plant. Ever
so closely and ever so slowly you move
and you grab. This tips you off balance
and you stumble to regain control, water
flying from clumsy feet. Now, the whole
pond is disturbed. Nothing moves.
There's not a sound. You stand alone in
the darkness. You're glad the world is
not there to see you.
Let's try again and so with deliberate
quiet steps the ever searching flashlight
pierces the darkness and again picks out
another tiny peeper clinging to a stem.
Mistakes are not to be made twice so this
time the approach is longer and more
deliberate. You grab -- success — and in
your warm palm throbs a tiny cold
spring peeper.Slowly you open the palm
to reveal a light brownish frog barely
over one inch long. Across its back is a
long dark cross which is used in
identifying this frog by its Latin name
Hyla Crucifer.
On its feet are small pads that look like
little suction cups which give it the
ability to cling so easily to each limb or
stem.
The call we hear from the pond from
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the spring peepers, toads or other kinds
of frogs is the mating chorus of the
males. By inflating their throats, their
songs are amplified so they can be heard
almost a mile away. It makes each tiny
frog a veritable Caruso. In the pond the
female lays her eggs and the male
clinging to her, fertilizes them. The eggs
will stay until the water warms up and
they hatch to produce the familiar
tadpoles.
One of the great experiences I had with
spring peepers was when I was going to
college years ago. I did it the hard way
and took my family with me where we
lived in a trailer. Ever try doing your
lessons in a trailer with three pre-
schoolers around? Things got rather
tight sometimes and so once to relieve
the tension, I brought home a spring
peeper for the kids to see and study.
All went well until that night when we
'were all asleep, all that is -- except the
peeper. The warmth of our trailer trig-
gered an inner urge to call and all that
night we listened to the plaintive call of a
lone peeper. Needless to say, he was
taken back to his pond early the next
morning.
Spring peepers are small wonders and
it's the small wonders that add much to
make our lives worthwhile. Listen on the
next quiet, warm night and you will know
what I mean.
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