Spring Peepers Are Peeping
The Family took a drive through the Brandywine Valley to blow off some steam; the Kid was brooding about things a 12 year old broods about; I was stressed out over taxes and the Wife was bummed about her friend and her dead husband.
At such times a drive in “the country” tends to soothe the soul, but we got an extra comfort in the form of tens of thousands of 3/4 to 1” frogs known locally as “Peepers.” Peepers are like cherry blossoms in Delaware; they are only around for a few days so when you find them they are quite a treat. Wikipedia notes:
Spring peepers breed in southern areas from October to March, depending on the local temperature. In northern areas, they breed from March to June when the warm rain starts. P. crucifer typically lay around 900 eggs per clutch, but up to 1000 is possible. In very cold weather, they hibernate under logs and loose bark. Spring peepers are nocturnal frogs, and they are mostly heard but not seen. They are especially easy to hear due to their extremely loud mating call which gives them the name “peeper”, but it is often hard to pinpoint the source of the sound, especially when many are peeping at once.
After finding a particular loud crop we pulled off the road and searched the flooded marsh to see if we could find the little critters. The noise was so loud it was like someone was blowing a whistle in your ears – it rattled your ear drums. We searched but didn’t find them – although we did find nice crops of slimy frog eggs.
We then hopped back into the car and drove around listening for peepers until the sun went down. Those 3/4 to 1” frogs sure improved our mood.
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