Last Wednesday, we had rain. On Thursday, the temperatures were in the high 50s, so my kids and I went searching for frogs. All was quiet when we reached the pond, so we sat and listened for a while. By the time we left about 30 minutes later, quite a few wood frogs were clucking. YAY, we thought. The day has come! By Friday, mating should be in full swing.
That night I sent a Facebook invitation to all of my friends in Rochester called, "Wood Frog Adventure." I invited them to meet at my house at 3:30 and start walking by 3:45. The goal: get to the frog pond to observe and hear the frogs. Three families joined us for a total of 9 children, 4 adults, and 1 dog.
The kids ran ahead...
We reached the pond in a noisy mass... the dog got ahead of the child holding the leash and jumped in the water... and we heard nothing.
Not one cluck.
Not one croak.
Not one splash.
On a usual migration day, the sound is deafening. In fact, our human presence doesn't usually bother them. On this day- nothing.
Did that phase the kids? Of course not! There were murky pockets to investigate.
And tree bridges to explore.
And plans to be made.
What the plans were, I have no idea, but shortly after this tete-a-tete, the kids ran off together.
Before we left the pond, we did hear a few clucks, but nothing as impressive as last year. Did it matter? Heck no! We had a great time exploring the woods together. The message...science can be tricky. Even when you think you know what will happen, nature doesn't always cooperate. That's the beauty of it, really. If you keep looking and keep exploring, you'll still enjoy nature and get to know it's rhythms.
What changes have you been noticing this spring? Be spontaneous. Grab your kids and hit the trails. See what you can discover together.
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