Big Night!

As I write this post tonight (3/31/19), it is 48 degrees with a steady rain falling. These are classic conditions for "Big Night", an annual migration of amphibians in the Maine woods. For me, it is not officially spring until I've heard the peepers, but by the time their deafening calls are ringing from every local wetland, the legendary big night is already a week or so in the rear view mirror. Wood frogs and spotted salamanders are the first amphibians in our area to awaken from their long winter dormancies under leaf litter or deep underground in the forest. They do so immediately looking to reproduce. The terminus of their migration is a vernal pool. These are seasonal wetlands brimming with recent snow melt that provide critical nursery habitat for fast developing frog and salamander larvae.

 A wood frog hiding along the bank of a vernal pool

Not every big night is created equal. On years with little rain and a gradual early onset of spring temperatures, the breeding activity can be drawn out over the course of a couple of weeks. This year has set up to be a great one as cold temperatures have hung on into late march culminating with two warm days and a rainy night. You can bet that thousands of wood frogs and spotted salamanders will be on the move in southern and coastal York county this evening.

A spotted salamander encountered on a class trip to the vernal pool

The way the schedule shook out this year, it will be the first time in a quite a while that I have not taught at least one section of Maine Fish & Wildlife in the spring. Vernal pools are always a big part of my spring curriculum in MEF&W. Few other units provide such a direct opportunity for the creation of a memorable learning experience. Students can be introduced to a suite of creatures in the classroom, then head out the door to see and hear them, all in the same block! As we enter the fourth quarter, we will get outside more and more to refine our identification and measurement skills in Trees & the Maine Forest. You can bet that I'll swing by our own vernal pool in the TA Forest with my classes. There is a big old quaking aspen along its bank that I always make sure to show the kids. It provides the perfect excuse to check in on some old friends.