Connecticut Nature

Spring has Sprung!

Written by: Kim Hargrave, Director of Education at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center

Melting snow and ice, warmer temperatures and longer days - the signs of spring are all
around us. Observing plants and animals in the spring is a great way to get to started in the
field of phenology, the study of the timing of natural events, like when flowers bloom, birds
start building their nests, or when salamanders migrate and much more. Comparing when American Robin
Photo credit: Rick Newton.
natural events happen each year can tell us what is going in our climate and helps us to be in
tune with nature’s seasonal cycles.

Plants are great subjects to observe in spring. In every neighborhood, plants are starting to bud. These
buds contain a flower, leaves and even new branches. Take a close look at any deciduous plant and you
will find buds. Observe them every few days through the spring to watch them grow and burst into life.
Red maple trees, the most numerous tree in New England, are easy to observe. Watch the canopy of
the trees for when the red maple trees flower, you will find there is a red glow at the end of each branch.
Skunk cabbage is a fun and smelly plant to observe! Growing in wetlands, this is one of the earliest
flowers in Connecticut. Skunk cabbage flowers have a strong odor that smells just like a skunk and
attracts early pollinators like flies and bees. Its flower also produces heat which keeps pollinators warm
and prevents the flower from freezing on a cold night.
Skunk Cabbage
The first amphibians to celebrate
spring are wood frogs, spring peepers and spotted salamanders. On rainy nights,
in early spring when the temperature rises over 45 degrees, these unique animals
emerge and head to vernal pools (temporary ponds) to find mates and lay their eggs.
Male wood frogs have a unique call that sounds like the quacking of ducks and only
call for about 2 weeks during each year. Spring peepers are a tiny tree frog, only
about an inch and a half, that have an incredibly loud call. A large group of peepers
calling can sound like sleigh bells ringing! Spotted salamanders also migrate from the
woods, where they spend the majority of the year living underground eating worms
and insects, to vernal pools to lay their eggs. Spring is the best time of year to see
these black salamanders with yellow spots, who can grow to be over 8 inches long.
Spotted Salamander
Spring not only brings returning migrant birds, but our year round residents get ready for the nesting season by searching for mates and looking for nesting
sites. As the days get longer, birds start to sing more. Robins, cardinals, chickadees, titmice and many more are all singing. The best time to listen for birds
is in the morning and evening. Once you hear them, try to spot them in the trees.

See what other signs of spring you can find in your neighborhood!

TRY IT! Nature Journaling

Starting a Nature Journal doesn’t have to be complicated.
You can use a notebook or just a piece paper, to record the
date, time, location, weather and your observations. You can
draw, write or do a combination of both. Wood Frog

Listen to frog calls!

Listen to frog calls on line and see which
ones you hear in your neighborhood.

Lang Elliot’s Music of Nature website

is a good starting point.
https://musicofnature.com/calls-of-frogs-and-toads-of-the-northeast/

For more information on the subject of

phenology visit the National Phenology
Network www.usanpn.org

CCSS.ELA.Reading:
Informational Text: 3-5.2, 3-5.3, 3-5.8
dpnc.org