Frog Season.

4-12-10 VERMONT: There was a dusting of snow a few days ago, but all the snow is gone, even the piles. The pond is ice-free. A few years ago, there was ice and snow lasting another two weeks into the season. Today was sunny, breezy and cool.

I arrived mid-afternoon and got to work doing some yard clean-up, filled the bird feeders, put out rockers and benches, finished setting up the flower bed barriers, did a bit more work on the marten house stand and started putting winter equipment away.

The frogs have been celebrating spring, both ponds have developing egg masses. They have at least three different patterns. Some float on the surface, other are fastened to bottom weeds. The clumps vary in size from softball to golfball. The matrix that holds all the tadpoles ranges from clear to opaque and grey. I guess these are species differences.

In bloom: Hellebore, wild ginger, pachysandra, vinca minor, daffodil, forsythia, snowdrop, crocus, primrose.


Canadian Wild Ginger. Who do you suppose pollinates these flowers that lie on the ground? Ants? Beetles?

Oriental Hellebore, pretty red flower that hangs downward.