These are trying times -- and you can go bonkers in you stay in the house too long. So I decided, as a Master naturalist, to monitor wetlands/vernal pools near the entrance to Claytor Lake State Park.
Some call them wetlands, or vernal (spring) pools. Most vernal pools don't stick around, and only last a few months, virus or not. Why? These special wetlands are an important
part of the food web. Frogs show up and "sing" for their female mates. And salamanders also make an appearance, bringing chemical "pheromones" into play, this glandular substance attracting the girlfriend as he waggles his tail in a mating dance.
Female salamanders will then lay fertilized eggs that are stuck deep in the water, attached to a branch. Female frogs create a mass of eggs that linger on the wetland's surface. The critters leave the wetland and go into the woods, where they become food for "bigger" animals, from foxes to bobcats, even birds and snakes.
We NEED wetlands (or ponds, which is a year round pool with trees and other vegetation in it), to keep the food web going. And the pond I visited did have signs of critters. I noticed a little gray backed (probably a painted) turtle or two, briefly sunning themselves on a big log before they saw us and scooted into the water and disappeared. Then there was a "schoosh" and splash, briefly followed by what appeared to be a squeak. It sounded like the squeak of a baby toy, which was kind of cute. It was so fast I could only barely make out that the long legs of a frog were involved.
And my feet (darn it) got wet! I should have worn my waders boots, perfect for getting closer to my wetland critters. It was sunny and calm, a perfect day to get out of the house, and still be away from people (because of COVID-19), and get close to nature!
I should have put up a photo of a vernal pool instead of the woods.
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