Crossroads: Temporary water important to spring peepers
“Water is Everything” is one of the mottos of the Celebrate Water Door County initiative, and it is certainly true for the frogs which are filling Crossroads with their remarkable, and remarkably loud, evening choruses.
Frogs are amphibians, a word which means “both life forms.” So we think of frogs as needing water for breeding and early development and living on land as adults.
Realistically, though, frogs need to be moist for their entire lives, which is why they tend to be active at night. It’s usually cooler and more damp after dark.
Some folks around here tend think any frog making noise in the spring is a spring peeper, but Northern spring peeper is the species name for a diminutive creature with a cross-shaped black marking on its back.
Spring peepers literally freeze solid in the winter. At least, their body fluid freezes. But the cells remain functional so in spring, the tiny frozen frogs can thaw and become active again.
Peepers live in the woods, where they can climb trees using funny little toepads that act like suction cups. But when breeding time comes, the peepers leave their trees in search of wetlands called ephemeral or vernal ponds.
“Vernal” is just a fancy word for spring and “ephemeral” means existing for a very short time. That pretty much describes the destination of the spring peepers this time of year. They are looking for those small ponds that form each spring from snow melt, abundant rain and sometimes even a high water table. (This soggy May, all of the above.)
One would think that a pond destined to dry up would be the worst possible place to lay eggs. But no. Temporary ponds are the most productive habitats for spring-breeding frogs. (Some Wisconsin frogs species breed in June, July, even August.)
Ponds that dry up every year cannot support fish. It’s that simple. Tadpoles have a much better chance if their breeding habitat lacks predators.
Scientists used to think that when ponds started drying up, tadpoles developed into frogs more quickly. That appears not to be case. For the tadpoles, it’s a race against time to metamorphose into frogs before they are left high and dry.
But those tadpoles that morph into adult frogs are incredibly important in the food web. They are predators of many destructive forests insect and, in turn, they become the prey of woodland birds and mammals.
But spring peepers must develop in ponds and must stay moist in their terrestrial habitats. For frogs, water is everything.
Many, but not all, of our school and group programs this week will feature water features.
On Sunday, the Girl Scouts will hold their Bridging Ceremony, crossing one of our five bridges. And our nature hikes will follow the creek, because, in nature, water is everything.
► Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor-supported preserve that offers education, conducts research and provides outdoor experiences to inspire environmental stewardship for learners of all ages on its three properties: the Big Creek, The Cove, and Ida Bay preserves. The Collins Learning Center, 2041 County TT (Michigan Street), just east of the roundabout on Wisconsin 42/57, Sturgeon Bay, is open from 2 to 4 p.m. daily and during scheduled activities. Trails and restrooms are open all hours daily and free of charge; pets are permitted under control and on leashes. Maps are available online.
For more information, call 920-746-5895, or go to www.crossroadsatbigcreek.com or Crossroads’ Facebook page.
Coggin Heeringa is the director/naturalist at Crossroads at Big Creek.
Saturday, May 19
Dusk: Astronomy viewing
Join members of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Center after dark to explore the night sky. Free. Stonecipher Astronomy Center at Crossroads; use entrance at 2200 Utah Street.
Sunday, May 20
1 p.m.: Nature Walk: Big Creek in Spring
Gentle ramble to follow the new trails which skirt Big Creek and look for birds and wildflowers. For all ages. Free. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.
Tuesday, May 22
6:30 p.m.: Door County Beekeepers Club
Public welcome to club's monthly meetings. The program this month is “Gentle Bees/Gentle Handling." Lecture hall, Collins Learning Center.