Monday, April 5, 2021

Frogs start mating on Easter day in EchoEcho forest cultivation: an ecosystem "indicator" of good health

 https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/minnaqua/speciesprofile/springpeeper.html

 Because of this sensitivity, Spring Peepers and other amphibians are good indicators of the health of their surrounding environment. Currently we are experiencing a loss of toad and frog populations in various areas of the world and it could be a red flag that their ecosystems may be imperiled.

 So I freak out about accidentally killing the winter hibernating frogs in the EcoEcho "mini-forest" - the tree frog habitat is increasingly rare. So I am very lucky to try to share this space with the frogs. 

https://www.pca.state.mn.us/frogs-minnesota#mnfrog

I'm really surprised that the male tree frogs climbed the trees so high up - there is still snow on the north side of the trees in patches - on the north edge of the forest.

I drove up north to the Superior National Forest - and I visited an outhouse - luckily I had my own Toilet Paper and soap and water in the car. haha. The "beach and campground" were technically closed but the outhouse door was open - victory!!

Best of all the one butterfly I had seen in my EcoEcho mini-forest was swarming all over the road in the national forest. I had to be careful - as the butterfly warmed in the gravel road and then flew up INTO the car. So I would drive slowly and swerve and stop, etc. I don't think I killed any by accident.

What kind of butterfly was it?

I probably blogged on it before as I've blogged on the butterflies and frogs as well.

Ok first back to the frogs - when I first camped over night in the Spring of 2017 or 2018 - I really thought these frogs were BIRDS. I could not believe frogs were high up in the trees and making such a loud racket.

Last night I almost stepped on a WOOD FROG - they have a different call - that's louder and deeper and they seem to stay on the ground. And there's not as many of them. I wonder how many I have killed accidentally? I know there's at least a handful of males based on the mating call. The one I saw was silent so - a female? She had a long ways to hop to get to the males. haha.

So the frogs I hear are HIGH up in the trees - that means they must NOT be the "Spring Peeper" but rather the Gray Tree Frog. OK. 

I don't know - they sound like the Spring Peeper - maybe they just are not that high up but only sound like they're high up 

Northern spring peepers are excellent climbers due to their large toe pads; however, they prefer to remain close to the ground.

 Maybe mine prefer to hide in the trees?

Yeah I guess it is the Grey Tree Frog - because they have that high pitch chirping call also.

OH these recordings have TWO different species of frogs going on - that always is annoying. They want you to "ignore" the background sounds as if they don't exist. Hilarious. There should ALWAYS be a disclaimer on these recordings to ignore the background sounds.

Next time I go up then I will definitely RECORD the mating sounds. 

Now back to butterflies.

https://www.startribune.com/nature-notes-minnesota-has-butterflies-that-hibernate/372412791/

Right - the "Mourning Cloak" butterfly - that's what I blogged on before.

Many years ago someone alerted me to some butterfly species that spend the winter as adults in hibernation. On extremely warm winter days, or on early spring days, it is possible to observe one flying about the landscape.


 yeah there are TONS of these in Superior National Forest.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/superior/recarea/?recid=37109

Here is where I went for Easter.

It's a very beautiful lake in the northern pine forest - definitely reminiscence of the Ham "land of sky blue water" beer commercial.

 The "jingle" was music created by an Ojibwe native animator working in Minneapolis - my old school buddy who played in my noise rock band - he is the video editor director at the same firm now (he travels the world for a nice bourgeois corporate existence and jokingly calls me a "dirty hippy" when he drives by). haha.

Deep snow may make access to outhouses difficult.

Sounds like the leave the doors open even though the sign said "closed" - I was confused by this but hey - Mother Nature was calling and the door was open!! haha.

 Many campgrounds are available for winter camping, but will not have plowed roads, water, or garbage containers

 Yeah this site is way too far back for winter camping - it's two miles off the main road at least. So you can't drive in. I suppose you could park off the main road but might as well just camp off one of the side logging roads off the main road then.

wow $12 for one night - way too expensive! no thanks. I'll stick to the primitive free camping - thanks very much!!


 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment