A Walk at Creamer's Field

Breakup has been a little early this year, and with the snow melting a little early, we were able to take a walk behind the barns on Thursday.  There were still some big puddles, but the trail was in good shape.

Throughout the winter I've only taken shots of the barns from the front, so it was nice to circle around the barns and get shots from all sides.

Our destination was the Seasonal Pond.

In the shot below you can see the location of the Seasonal Pond in relation to the barns.  You can just see the barns to the right, the same view you see in the collage above in the lower lefthand corner.

Reports were the Tree Frogs were out in the Seasonal Pond, and sure enough they were.  They were quite noisy so it was easy to know they were there, but you had to look carefully to see them.  The male frog call sounds like ducks quacking and the breeding season is brief.

The conditions weren't quite as good as they were back on May 10, 2012, when I got better photos of the frogs.  You can see those photos HERE.  

I am linking up with Amy's Barn Collective #30

and

Eileen's Saturday's Critters #72.

The photo below is my Index No. 168, taken at Creamer's Field

back on April 29, 2009.

I am linking it with Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun #109. 

There was a lot more water still in the front field that year when I took this photo of a pair of Snow Geese.  Sadly, I didn't spot any Snow Geese this year.

Froggie Went A Courtin'

Froggie went a-courtin' and he did ride, a-huh

Froggie went a-courtin' and he did ride, a-huh

Froggie went a-courtin' and he did ride

Sword and pistol by his side, a-huh, a-huh, fare the well.

"Froggie went a-courtin'" is a very old song with its origins going back to the 1500s in England or Scotland, and has been sung by many different people with many different versions.    The version above was sung by Bruce Springsteen.

Last week I was at Creamer's Field at the Seasonal Wetlands pond and the air was full of the sound of the Wood Frogs, quock, quock, quock.  When you hear the sound you look around to see where the ducks are, and then you realize that it's not the ducks.  Amazing how loud something so small can be!

Wood Frogs live from Southern Ohio, across Canada, and north to Alaska.  They are the only frog that lives above the Arctic Circle and the only one we have here in Fairbanks.  In the winter they freeze solid, but thaw out again come spring.  Courtship and breeding begins right away and it is only 45 days from egg to an adult frog.  Later on in the summer I occasionally find one in my flower beds that are on the edge of the woods.  I posted about them in July of 2009, and you can read that post by clicking HERE.  

The video below isn't the greatest and there is some interference from the wind, but make sure your sound is turned on and listen to the sound of the male wood frog courtin' .

Alaska Wood Frog

Today as I was weeding my flower bed, I was startled by some little critter moving in the weeds. My first thought was that it was a vole, but upon closer inspection this is what I saw. It was a Wood Frog. Last year I saw one Wood Frog in my yard, and I imagine this is the same one. They are found in a large portion of the U.S. and Canada, but it is only when they get to the Far North that they display a unique talent. Here they grow to about 3 inches and feed on insects and small animals. With our large mosquito population, I welcome every critter that will eat mosquitos into my yard.

They are the only amphibian in northern Alaska, and another creature that has adapted to living in our extreme climate. The Wood Frog gets ready for winter by burrowing into decayed leaves on the forest floor. As the temperature drops, 2/3s of the water in their body will freeze. Their heart stops beating and they are frozen solid. Their bodies contain a chemical that protects their frozen tissues. The water in their cells is converted into glucose, a sugar, which lowers the freezing point of the water. The glucose also seems to organize what little water remains in the cell so that the water coats delicate membranes and protects them from damage. It also helps to minimize the effects of dehydration, the most damaging aspect of the freezing process. Scientists are studying these frogs in hopes that they can learn how to preserve human organs for transplants and how the frogs tolerate high levels of glucose in their bloodstream with the hope that it may help people with diabetes. For now, I am happy to see this little guy in my yard and hope he gets very fat eating the mosquitos.