What Were You Doing on Save The Frogs Day?

Illustration courtesy of Save the Frogs.com

Save The Frogs Day was celebrated this year on Saturday, April 30 with hundreds of events planned all around the globe. It is very encouraging to see that so many people care about amphibians and are acting on behalf of threatened and endangered frogs and toads. Preserving habitat is so critical to their survival. Protecting and supporting wetlands rather than draining them is absolutely vital. 

One easy thing we can do if we live in built-up areas where roads and highways intersect habitat is to be mindful of the fact that we actually share the road with other species. These small animals face incredible danger on a busy road and, unfortunately, they can't know what it is they are crossing.

So it is up to us to be cautious, caring and mindful. Slowing down, keeping to the speed limit and even stopping (safely!) to help a toad across the road - these are all ways in which we can reduce needless amphibian deaths.

And that mindfulness should extend to all animals, large or small, especially this time of year when their activity is heightened. They are out foraging for food, building nests and looking after young.

So be careful out there this spring. Watch out for deer, raccoons, opossum, squirrels, voles and moles, turtles and snakes.

And a special note for Londoners: Please slow down, people, along Harry White Drive at White Oak Road! White's Wetland ESA takes up the entire northeast corner and is home to all of the above! Obey the speed limit and/or reduce speeds. Please do not interpret "country road" as your license to drive "like a bat out of hell."

Spring!

It's that time of year when the natural world wakes up from its winter slumber. As the sun warms the earth, amphibians and reptiles begin to emerge, joining other creatures who are on the move - mammals, birds and insects. 

 

So please take extra caution when driving down our country roads and watch out for crossing deer, opossum, groundhogs and raccoons. As more and more countryside is being developed, these animals need to cross more roads to reach habitats.

 

However, turtles, toads, frogs and snakes are particularly vulnerable. Unlike birds they cannot fly across a road. Nor can they run. They are especially slow-moving and, being small, easy to miss.

 

Slow down and follow posted speed limits. Slow down when driving past woodlots, wetlands or ESAs, like White's Wetland on White Oak and Harry White Drive.

 

And be kind. You can help a turtle or a toad cross a busy road too. Just make sure you point  them in the direction they were going or they will simply turn around and try to cross again, making your good samaritan act meaningless. You can keep garden gloves in your car. Remember to "handle with care"! Some wildlife sites can give you pointers for picking up turtles, for example.

 

It only takes a second to help a creature. It costs nothing to be kind.

 

 

The Frog Blog Will Continue!

The pond was really quiet today. The weather was too cold for any decent amphibian spotting. Unseasonably cool here for late April. A bit disappointing after those warm days in March when the frogs were out and the spring peepers singing.

Today the water was still, dark and brown. Little movement. Only one nosy Mallard flew in. A Great Blue Heron patiently hunted in the creek. The only sounds today...the trills of the ubiquitous red-winged blackbirds.

Never fear, pond watching will not stop at White's Wetland. We'll be blogging more about frogs as the weather warms up. It would have been nice to capture some frog sounds today, because a chorus of spring peepers is really something to hear!

Enjoy this autumn shot of the pond instead!

There were 181 events held all over the world today in 37 countries to Save The Frogs. That's inspiring. After today, I am sure, more people than ever are aware of the plight of the world's amphibians. That's good, because awareness and knowledge are critical if we are to save frogs from extinction.

Keep learning about amphibians and keep spreading the word: Save The Frogs!

Save The Frogs Day...is Here!

For a wetland blogger, this is probably THE most important day of the year! Loss of habitat is one of the main reasons why frogs and other amphibians are rapidly disappearing everywhere. It is one of the most insidious mass extinctions in progress. Which is why we desperately need to raise awareness. Frogs need habitat in order to survive, and that means protecting our precious wetlands, swamps, bogs, fens and ponds from being drained for development. Frogs have lived on this planet for 350 million years. Let's not be the cause for their extinction. So let's begin by protecting their habitat. To learn more about the worldwide amphibian crisis, please visit Dr. Kerry Kriger's site: Save the Frogs. Today, there are over 181 events being held across the planet in 37 countries! Astonishing! Amazing! Encouraging! Check out the map and find an event near you!

Saving The World's Disappearing Amphibians

Saving amphibians means saving their habitat, and that means saving wetlands from development and destruction.

Visit Dr. Kerry Kriger's Save The Frogs organization to learn why amphibians are so vitally important to many other species on this planet and how we can help them to survive.

These extraordinary creatures have evolved and diversified over millions of years, but now amphibian populations are on the decline everywhere. Already 200 amphibian species have gone extinct worldwide since 1979. As sensitive bio-indicators of planetary health, this should be telling us something. Amphibians in peril means we are all in peril.

Time to change our destructive ways. Time to raise awareness and time to act.

International Save The Frogs Day is April 28, 2012. We'll be blogging about frogs and tweeting from a real pond all day long! So come back and visit us on April 28th. Ask questions or post comments on White's Wetland "Frog Blog" on April 28th!

The pond "springs" to life ...

Have you ever heard frogs burst spontaneously into song to welcome a spring rain? I have, just this morning. Dark clouds had moved in early and all was quiet. The rain soon followed, like a hail of swift silver arrows. In a matter of seconds though, another sound was distinctly audible. What a thrill to realize that the rising voices were those of frogs. Full chorus now, their joyous song rose up from the pond as if they had all been awakened at the same time from their winter slumber by the warm spring showers. In unison, they sung their grateful appreciation to the universe.

This is Nature's choir. This is the gospel of Gaia.

To hear frogs responding to the rain is an experience everyone should have. It is a privilege we may lose. We live in a magical world—nature's magic kingdom—and we need to experience these moments and allow ourselves to be touched by how other species live in it. It is their world too, and they have their own joys and sorrows.

Humans love Spring. And so do frogs.

To learn more about disappearing frog populations, please visit Save The Frogs and check out their frogblog.

Flying Frogs and Ancient Geckos

Recently I blogged about diminishing frog populations. Here
is an interesting article from the World Wildlife Fund about
"new" species of frogs, reptiles and animals found in a very
different but equally fragile ecosystem, the Eastern
Himalayas:

"The Eastern Himalayas are now known to harbour a
staggering 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977
bird species, 176 reptiles,105 amphibians and 269 types of
freshwater fish. The region also has the highest density of
the Bengal tiger and is the last bastion of the charismatic
greater one-horned rhino."

Read more!

Caring for the not-so-cuddly creatures

Frog populations are dwindling all around the globe, while amphibian and reptilian populations in general are under serious threat as more and more wooded and wetland habitat is lost every year. It’s harder to encourage concern for these creatures who creep, crawl, slither and slide. Most humans seem to have a preternatural revulsion to them. Of course, they can’t be cuddled, and they have faces that clearly only their mothers can love. Our snapping turtle is downright ugly, if truth be told. But there is beauty in that creature, if you take the time to really look. Remember that when you are gazing at that carapace and observing that thick tail, you are getting a privileged glimpse at our prehistoric past. It’s actually a real gift and a blessing that these creatures still live among us.

Now consider the much-reviled snake. As a child, I was terrified of them. As an adult, having learned about the web of life and the delicate balance that the natural world must maintain, I have come to respect these creatures for what they are, and in doing so, I have lost my fear and lost my distaste. It is an extraordinary rush to feel empathy for something that you once loathed. It is cathartic - an emotional release.

Last week while filming at White’s Wetland, I caught sight of a lovely little snake. Of course, he vanished into the tall grass before I could see his head, but I did see the length of him: he bore yellow striping down his dark back. Once home, I tried to identify him by using Ministry of Natural Resources information.

(Here’s a good link, by the way, for Ontario residents interested in amphibians and reptiles: http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/glfc-amphibians/study)

Judging from the description, the photo and the habitat, I believe I saw a Northern Ribbon Snake.

But was it really?

I recalled another snake sighting, a few years ago, not fifty yards from where I spotted this fellow. He too disappeared very quickly into the grasses, but I saw a very long snake with an entirely black back, two characteristics of a now rare snake, the Black Rat Snake. If this was so, then it was indeed a privilege, as this snake’s numbers have declined considerable in southwestern Ontario due to loss of forest cover.

But seeing the striped snake last week so close to where I saw the black snake puts my identification in question because lo and behold there is another snake that fits both the profile and the habitat: Butler’s Garter Snake. According to the profile of this snake, found only in southwestern Ontario, some individuals lack striping and may be entirely black!

So what did I see?

I am just an amateur naturalist and these shy creatures slip away so fast, so I cannot claim any scientific certainty. But the good news is that White’s Wetlands is evidently home to a snake or two … or maybe three or four … or five or six…

This is a good thing. A very good thing. It means there is a healthy ecosystem present, one that can sustain both large four-footed creatures as well as amphibians, reptiles and insects.

It was a thrill to see the snake last week and it is a thrill to know that, hidden from us, they are there, living out their own lives with their own agendas completely and blissfully separate from ours, until we casually cross paths on a sunny summer’s day.

While it does matter what kind of snake I observed – stats need to be gathered to monitor populations – I am just glad at this point that they are there at all. A sense of balance has been restored. I am grateful for their presence because I have come to understand how precious and crucial they are. I feel protective of them because, as with all the wild things, they are vulnerable.

Whether evidence will ever confirm that a Black Rat Snake, or a Butler’s Garter Snake, or a Northern Ribbon Snake resides along the southeast rim of the wetlands where the flat, open stretch of field meets the creek, I will continue to watch for him, eager to catch sight of a flash of movement near my feet and happy in the knowledge that we share this space. Named or not, he exists. Therein lies the real joy.