Spring Wildflowers: Fighting Back
Spring at last! We’ve survived the long bitter winter of snow and ice and bare branches. For us humans, winter is the rough season. But for plants, winter is spent dormant and snug under the snow. Spring is the time when they have to battle for survival. The first greenery is a welcome sight, not just for humans, but for rabbits, deer, slugs, insects and other herbivores, all thin and hungry and longing for a square meal. The first spring wildflowers unfurl into a world of hungry mouths waiting to eat them. An April trillium or hepatica runs a much greater risk of ending up in an herbivore’s...
Read MoreBig Night for Amphibians
It’s still a little chilly, but soon will come a night of warm spring rain. And if you’re driving after dark, you know what that means—hordes of pesky little frogs hopping across the road. Where are they going? Why so many? Are they trying to commit suicide? Frogs, toads and salamanders breed in the spring. They all get together in the same spot, usually a small pond, and then the males show off and try to attract females. It’s kind of like a singles bar. So if it’s a damp night and the temperature is about 40 degrees or so, tens of thousands of frogs and salamanders are sharing the roads...
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