Bullfrog Metamorph
It’s the time of year that local green frogs and bull frogs are leaving their watery confines to try a life on land. These large frogs breed only in permanent bodies of water, because they spend several years as a tadpole before metamorphosis. Unlike our vernal pool species, which breed earlier and are leaving their temporary pools before they dry, these species rely on permanent water that allows their tadpoles to overwinter – sometimes several times, depending on latitude. Want to learn more about the frogs in your neighborhood? There are Peterson Field Guides for that thanks to Roger Tory...
Read MoreRose-breasted Grosbeak
This is a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheuticus ludovicianus) photographed by RTPI President Twan Leenders in his backyard in Jamestown, NY. These are medium-sized songbirds with heavy, seed-crushing bills. In his ‘Field Guide to Birds of North America’, Roger Tory Peterson described their song as resembling that of the American Robin, but delivered with more feeling! Have you seen any at your backyard feeders this spring?
Read MoreBicolored Antbird
Here’s a catch made during my recent research trip to Costa Rica. Not a neotropical migrant this time, but a local resident species. This unusual-looking fellow is a Bicolored Antbird (Gymnopithys leucaspis), one of several so-called “ant-birds” that are usually found only in the vicinity of army ant swarms. All day long these birds follow the ants -at a safe distance- and expertly capture insects that are flushed, but not caught, by the invading army.
Read MoreSpring Ephemerals
Trilliums like the one shown here – and other ‘spring ephemeral’ wildflowers – only bloom for a short period of time in early spring; they then die back to their underground root system. But what a welcome show they put on each year, after we’ve been seeing nothing but snow for months! Before the tree canopy in our forests fully leaf out, the forest floor is briefly carpeted with flowers. Please enjoy them where they are found – in their native woodland habitat. Tempting as it may be to transplant some to your garden, most of these plants don’t survive and they are becoming...
Read MoreAmphibians Abound
The first wave of amphibian breeding has now passed, and early vernal pool breeders are making room for the next wave of frogs to show up at our local wetlands. American toads, pickerel frogs and leopard frogs have been calling for a week or so now, and green frogs and bullfrogs will join in soon, Of course, the spring peepers just won’t stop calling at all… Did you know that you can easily tell the difference between frog eggs and toad eggs? Frog eggs are always laid in a clump or a floating raft, while our toads produce long, corkscrewing strands with a single line of eggs in the center...
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