Big Night In Small Town

So far, this is definitely one of the coolest things I've done in Small Town...maybe even ever!

In our town, there are several vernal pools, and several amphibians migrate to the vernal pools in the spring to reproduce. A neat bit of information here is that the amphibians always return to the location of their birth.

At least 2 of the pathways to a couple of pools is met with a street...which, as most of you know, can mean that these poor critters can be squashed during the crossing.

Well, in Small Town, there is a night that a group of people get together and go out and help them cross. And even though 'Big Night' is just one night, these crossings happen all Spring. Yes, very different than city life!

The conditions basically meet this criteria:

The ground is becoming thawed after the winter
It is raining all day, afternoon and into the night
And the temperatures are around 40 degrees or higher

Last night was the first night that met these criteria, even though it was a bit colder than expected. So, being the animal lover that I am, joined with a group of about 20 and we headed out to help cross these critters!


The amphibians we are watching for are Wood Frogs, Spring Peepers, and Spotted Salamanders.

And though it was still a colder climate that brings them out in hoards, we did managed to spot 5 or 6 of these guys and helped them across!



I was not one of the lucky ones to find them, but I did manage to get in a few pictures of the ones that were found before a kid got to pick them up.

Because there is not an official date that Big Night happens, I was hoping it would hold off until mom and dad got here so dad (and perhaps Cary) could join me in this. He is, after all, one of the people that really influenced my love for animals; frogs, turtles, and lizards in general.

But the best thing is, this will continue every time there is rain and warmer Spring weather, so perhaps I will take dad out during his next visit and we will get to have some fun again!