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Showing posts with the label amphibians

Adventures in Social Distancing 3

The following photos were taken on 10 April 2020 at Crosswinds Marsh in Wayne County, MI. That day was the first warm day this spring as evidenced by the insect and reptile activity. I had been to the marsh before, but I had only explored some of it by water as my son was earning his canoeing merit badge with his BSA troop there. I was impressed with the size of the property, though work is needed to rid it of massive amounts of phragmites and to a lesser extent, common buckthorn and autumn olive. The marsh only exists because when Detroit Metropolitan Airport expanded they drained some wetlands that were located on the proposed expansion. So, in a wise program of replacement, Crosswinds Marsh was created about 10 miles SE of the airport. Given that it was the Friday before Palm Sunday, and not expecting to have any palms for the celebration, I found many salixes growing around and cut about two dozen branches for their pussy willows in solidarity with the Eastern European tradi...

Babies

     Having children has to be one of life's top three pleasures (also one of life's top five annoyances).  Guiding them as they grow, watching how they navigate the wonder found in the world is a slow-burn of joy.      In addition to one's own children, joy is found in the babies of creatures we share the world with.  If one can combine animal babies with one's own, one may have stumbled upon an alternative energy source that cannot be usurped by corporations.      My children and I have watched infant praying mantids leave the relative safety of their egg case and venture into a world of danger, and for a fortunate few, maturation.  We've set a luna moth free that we observed from caterpillar to cocoon to adult.      Most recently, we've watched Eastern American toad tadpoles ( Bufo americanus americanus ) metamorphose into tiny toadlets. At the toad "delivery room" It's hard to believe these tiny...