Some Vernal Pool Species

To the left is a photo of a wood frog (Rana sylvatica). Wood frogs are found throughout New England and northern North America. They are common, small frogs (~2 inches) that don't get very large but their singing can be heard during the spring time. Here's what they sound like http://allaboutfrogs.org/files/sounds/wood.wav
Right now the frogs are migrating from the forested uplands into the vernal pools.


Vernal Pools also are home to salamanders. To the right is a spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum). The salamanders are also migrating from the upland to the vernal pools. These salamanders are quite common and large (some grow up to 7 inches). If you ever come across one, make sure you wet your hands with water or wear latex gloves. All amphibians have pores on their skin and are very sensitive. Salamanders also diffuse a slim as a deterant for predators (and humans). It's a sticky slim or goo. Not nice to get on you! Usually there's a Big Night once a year, usually in April. It's when many salamanders move from the upland to the vernal pools/wetlands, and usually "they choose" a rainy, warm night.
The reasons to 'why' they are migrating to the pools is for mating. And that is why Vernal Pools are so important to the ecosystem, and why vernal pools are protected.
(These photos were taken by Jon).

Favorite Videos - So You Think You Can Dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv8XMUtan54&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGY5lhFZFpc&feature=related

Paper or Plastic

There's an article on MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23358591 that discusses which is better: paper or plastic. Paper weighs more, costs more to ship (from tree to factory to consumer...and paper factories pollute a lot!) Plastic bags are made from fossil fuels (OIL) but weighs less and shipping costs are lower than paper. Paper bags are easier to recycle, plastic bags not so muchl; plus trees are a renewable resource while the oil needed for plastic is not. Also, there are certain areas that specifically grow trees for paper use. A good alternative: reusable bags. Pretty much anything resuable is best for the environment in the long run. The link above is a good interactive website. Another website: http://msnbc.newsvine.com/_news/2008/03/11/1359519-battle-of-the-bags-paper-vs-plastic discusses what others think about the topic. I'm going to use reusable bags only.

Killdeer

Here are two pictures of the same bird. This is a killdeer. Everytime I see this bird, I think that it is a sand-piper or plover but it's not. It's a killdeer, which is pretty common. An interesting fact about this bird is that if you are getting too close to its nest, the adult bird will make it's wing appear to be broken and lure you away from the nest. Pretty ingenius way to get rid of predators and/or humans. I saw this bird on Tuesday next to a pond which was next to an apartment complex. It's fun to see birds everywhere. Take hawks for instance, I see so many hawks on the side of the road or in trees next to highways. They are everywhere! So cool. I love birds.

It's been awhile since my last post. I hope you haven't been anxiously awaiting for a post from me...anyways, I found this link on the Nature Conservancy Website and I thought it was cool [maybe depressing] to know how much of my life, everyday chores, work, yada yada yada affects the environment. Check out this website and take the survey: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/?src=search
My household emits about 57 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere a year. Is that bad? It isn't good. It's below the national average for my household. I think that these Carbon surveys can be read two ways. 1) Make you feel quilty and "push" you towards eating organic, buying "green" houses/cars, etc. OR 2) making you aware that everything you do affects the world around you. Some people might say you (I am) ignorant because I don't drive a hybrid or eat organic food. Eating organic is expensive! I refused to buy apples at Shaws because they were $1.29/lb. Maybe I'm cheap (probably) but I'm not going to pay more (up front) to "be green." Because even buying a hybrid isn't all that great. Yeah, it saves you $$ at the pump, but the battery for the hybrid and all the other "extras" end up costing you more in the long run. I'll write more later, I'm done for now.