What's That? Wednesday

What's That?

Can you guess what this close-up shot is?

Big Night Weeks

Determined to witness a frog and salamander migration this year, we've been setting out night after night in some pretty hideous weather conditions.  This wonderful vernal pool is just a couple of minutes from home and has proven semi-fruitful with fairy shrimp (Anostraca) and frogs.  These fairy shrimp were pretty large.

On our first expedition, we heard the unmistakable peeping of spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) and got very close to this male who was intent on winning a female by singing his heart out.

As it got darker, the quacking of the wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) began.  The peepers kept to the side of the pool closest to the road while the wood frogs prefered the area of denser twigs and fallen logs on the opposite side.  At first we spotted just a few wood frogs swimming about, but as the night darkened, the quacking became louder and more urgent.  

Quite a few frogs in amplexus (froggy love embrace) were just beneath the water's surface. 

As things became more heated, female wood frogs began leaving the water and hopping all around our feet.  Here's one just at the toe of my daughter's boot.

We had to be very careful about where we stepped. Under a submerged log, a mass of wood frog eggs had already been laid.

My son was lucky enough to see an adult spotted salamander swim by, but that was the only salamander sighting even after several return visits during the last week.  Perhaps it was the male who left behind these spermatophores on a leaf near the pool's edge.

It's been pouring like mad again these last two days and the temperature is rising.  Maybe we'll still get lucky and find some breeding salamanders.

Barred Owl Treat

We've been eagerly anticipating "Big Night" since February, waiting patiently for the right combination of temperature and rain to head out to our local vernal pools.  Our first attempt was earlier this month after some heavy rains.  We made it a combo trip - geocaching and checking out vernal pools at a more heavily wooded part of Harold Parker State Park that we hadn't explored before. Just minutes into our hike, we heard "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?" - the call of the barred owl (Strix varia).  Another nearby owl answered. What a boon!

Naturally, the kids and I put our calling skills to the test and were richly rewarded by a gorgeous barred owl who flew between two tall trees just a few yards away.  It stayed for a few minutes and thrilled us by obligingly returning our calls. As an added bonus, the owl appeared to have a snake dangling from its talons!  Barred owls begin breeding in the cold of February, so perhaps this owl was bringing a prized meal home for its brooding mate.

No luck with the frogs and salamanders, but we did hear our first Spring Peeper that day.

Maple Sugaring Haiku

A maple sugaring haiku I wrote in celebration of maple sugaring season.

Ancient maples pierced

golden elixir flows free

nature’s ambrosia

I'm Back & Geocaching

I'm back!  It feels good to be back after a hectic break during which my camera broke, my laptop stopped working and my computer decided not to read anything in the disc drive.  Add to that kids home for Christmas vacation, tons of snow and...well you get the picture.  No writing.

Well, at least we had a great start to the New Year.  On January 1 we started a great new family pastime - geocaching.  We're trekkers anyway, and geocaching adds a fun treasure hunt element to the hike.  The impetus was a new phone my husband got that allows him to download apps.  The geocaching app turns the phone into a handheld GPS device.  We started by visiting Geocaching.com and creating a free account.  Typing in a zip code generates a list of caches in the area.  Our first cache was in town about a mile and a half into the woods on a nice trail.  It took a bit of hunting around the stone wall, but we eventually discovered the box. The kids had a great time writing in the log, choosing a trinket to take, and leaving one for the next adventurer.  Some cache boxes contain geocoins or travelbug tags which are registered and can be taken from location to location.  Their journeys can be tracked online.

There are thousands of caches hidden all over the world.  Get out and give it a try!

Daddy, daughter & Dash enjoying the snowy hike.

Cache discovered!

What's That? Wednesday #2

What's that?

Good luck! Answer posted next Wednesday.

What's That? Wednesday - Answer to last week's photo puzzle

Congratulations to Steve and Kenton and Rebecca for their correct answers to last week's "What's That?" photo puzzle.  Steve's guess of Osage Orange was right as was Kenton and Rebecca's guess of Hedge apple.  By coincidence, Steve had blogged about osage oranges the same day I posted the photo.  Read about osage oranges on his blog at Blue Jay Barrens.

The osage orange (Macula pomifera) is found naturally in areas of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas but has been grown in other parts of the U.S.  This particular osage orange tree is growing on the property of Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield where there are several non-native species of trees which were brought onto the property in the early 1900s when it was owned by Thomas Proctor. 

Osage orange fruit is not edible, but some animals especially squirrels and deer will eat the seeds.  The trees were often grown in rows for use as fences in prairie regions.

There's some interesting folklore surrounding the osage orange.  As Kenton and Rebecca pointed out, Hedge apples are sold to deter insects but there's no scientific proof that they do keep spiders, roaches, etc. away.

Thanks to all who answered.  No puzzle this Wednesday - will be away for the holiday.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!