Spring 2006

Spring 2006 Earl Plato

What a difference a day makes in Marcy Woods. Out there on Thursday, March 30th we walked with daughter Allison and our cameras. Few birds and no frogs at all. No flowers yet. Just a beautiful walk, Next day with Neil circa 10:00 a.m. there was music to my ears. First one quack then another as we approached the Marcy pond. Then a cacacophony of duck-like sounds. Yes! The wood frogs are back. It’s the first I’ve heard in three years in Marcy Woods! Thank you Dino Jr. for allowing us the opportunity. Neil and I at the west gate cleared inside the south post a wider area for the larger wheel chairs to get through. St. Paul High School’s Challenged Class had a difficult time getting one of their wheelchairs through the opening. Then we walked the Lower Trail that was bathed in sunshine. The DiCienzos have cleared the fallen trees from the trail. The walking is easy on the small stone covering, The spicebushes are starting to bud. In a few weeks their small yellow flowers will appear. Then on the trail as we headed south was a Mourning cloak butterfly. Not one but two. These are our earliest butterflies. Wait! There on our right a smaller butterfly alighted on the ground. Orange and black spots - I said it’s either a Question Mark or a Comma butterfly. Back home in my guide I decided that because of its smaller size it was a Comma. They too are found here in spring time. No ducks in the pond this day as there were yesterday but a familiar quacking sound was heard. Neil and I were in the land of the Wood frogs. Stop! Listen! One, two, five, ten, twenty perhaps thirty of these little guys letting their mates know it was spring. Have you ever seen a Wood frog? Let me describe one for you.
/Think small - as small as 13/4” that’s 3.5 cm. Marcy’s Woods Wood frogs are this small. In other parts of Ontario they can be twice as large. They can be pink, tan or dark brown. Marcy Wood frogs are mostly dark brown. They all have a prominent dark mask that ends abruptly behind the eardrum. The ones I have observed have a white belly. The little toes are not fully webbed. Why? I don’t know. Their voice is a distinct raspy quack. Ger 30 or 40 of them together in full voice and you won’t forget their sounds. Timing is important. One year I waited just a few days too long and they were gone. The females mate and in a few days they lay their fertilized eggs. Then they are gone. They all disappear into the surrounding wetlands. This year I hopefully will monitor the masked little frogs more closely.