Amphibians go through metamorphosis. Little fish like creatures hatch from eggs in moist or water environments. Amphibians are born as larvae and change into adult form. WIth big heads and long wavy tails, baby frogs can look like salamanders and salamanders and look like toads. How can we tell who we are looking at? I […]
How Cold-Blooded Frogs Survive the Winter and Emerge in Spring
On spring nights in wooded areas, you can hear the varied calls and vocalizations of frogs looking for mates. Some frogs emerge from their winter sleep as early as March. Others come out as the spring days grow warm. Some frogs have spent the cold winter months hidden from view, hibernating deep within pond mud […]
How Do Mourning Cloak Butterflies Fly in the Cold of Early Spring?
The first Mourning Cloaks of the spring can emerge looking raggedy. The wings may be torn and worn along the edges. This is because of how the butterflies spend the winter.
Vernal Pools: Links to Indicator Species Information
Last month’s post on vernal pools was very popular. As a follow up I gathered together links to website articles and downloadable pdfs on identifying vernal pools by their plant and animal indicator species.
Why are the First Flowers of Spring Often White or Yellow?
The first flowers of spring are often white or yellow because of who pollinates them. The majority of early spring pollinators are flies. Flies lack
Spring Starts from the Ground Up
The first signs of spring are often right at your feet. The layer of herbaceous plants shows signs of green followed by the shrubs, then the sub-canopy and finally the tall tree canopy above.
Earth Protectors News
Hello Mother Earth protectors, If you follow me on Twitter, you know I tweet plenty of ecology, environmental, and indigenous news. There are some news stories that are so “different”, I just have to share them. This edition of Earth Protector News (I just thought of the name!) is for the folks who are not […]
Vernal Pools
It is spring and time to head out to some of my favorite vernal pools. Vernal pools are small pools of water that appear and dry up as the seasons change. Vernal pools are isolated wetlands because they are not permanently connected to other bodies of water. They are fascinating but rare ecosystems. Vernal pools […]
Plant Sales and Festivals – Featuring Natives – PA Native Plant Society
Links to native plants sales in Pennsylvania in 2019 with a list of recommended reference books on native plant gardening in all regions of North America.
Trout Lilies are Early Spring Ephemerals
Trout Lilies belong to the group of plants known as ‘ephemerals’. In early spring the tree canopy is open and sunlight can shine unobstructed down to the forest floor. Once the trees’ leaves grow large enough to shade the forest floor the ephemerals, including Trout Lily, are finished blooming.
