Greetings,
Last month I wrote about our mild winter and how hard that can be on some of the amphibians at the conservancy. Hibernation under the leaf liter is made a lot easier and safer under a blanket of snow. Well, just two weeks ago I recorded just under 16 inches of snow a bit east of West Bend and the totals at Lac Lawarann weren’t far behind. The snow cover didn’t last long and the rains of last week made sure the last bits were washed away. By now we should have heard the spring peepers and chorus frogs and the wood frogs should be conducting their raucous chorus in the woodland ponds. The last two years they started almost ten days earlier, around March 22. But to date, I’ve not heard a peep, pun intended. (Maybe you will have by the time you’re reading this.) Our changing climate, with its milder winters will bring about many changes, hopefully not too severe for our amphibious friends.
Speaking of changes, the buds on the trees are swelling, the daffodils are up and everyone is thinking of getting out to clean out the gardens and get them ready for planting. While it is a bit too early for most plantings, it’s not too early to keep an eye on our web site and Facebook page for posts about the flower sale on May 13. We will have lots of new plants and varieties at the sale to look forward to this year. So stay connected and while you are waiting to get out and plant, bring the family to hike the trails at Lac Lawrann, watch spring unfold and listen for the frogs.
Paul
