Like a Frog on Ice, and Other Tales from Scotia!

Oh, what a difference a day can make! I was up in the Barrens on Wednesday morning, and though some of the ponds are opening up, it was a relatively silent sort of visit. I was hoping the amphibians were coming, given the mild weather, but I did not see any.

Well, with much warmer temperatures on Wednesday afternoon, the peepers at the former Dry Hollow Camp property, where we hiked, were going crazy. So I think it's a temperature thing: Peeping temp achieved! Peeping begins now!

So back to the Barrens I went on Thursday morning. My husband accompanied me part of the way on his bicycle, which makes me giggle. I pretend I am a famous rock and roll singer and he is my body guard! (Sometimes he shows up on his bike for a snack drop. Yes, this is funny and silly and romantic and I love it!)

Even before I arrived at my little pond on Thursday, I could hear the noise, noise, noise, noise! The peepers were peeping their fool heads off. It was a great big rock and roll party in the woods! And I looked down at my feet, and saw newts, and removed about a half-dozen of them from the trail so they would not get stepped on. Yes, I got to fondle a newt!

Now, back to the frogs. The frustrating thing about it is this. You are there. You are approaching a pond. You are being as stealthy as possible, given the conditions. But when you arrive at the pond, there is sudden . . . silence. All the dots you saw on the surface, hundreds of them, each one an amphibian, well, they disappear! And are silenced!

So we did a round of that at my favorite pond, which frustrated me. But hey. I figured I'd stop back and do better next time. So off I went to see several other ponds, and discovered that most of the rest of them are still covered in a significant amount of ice.

As I approached one of the bigger ponds, I startled a bunch of frogs along the edge, some of whom hopped directly into the water, and others of whom landed on the ice shelf. It made me giggle to see this fellow sitting, and leaping, on the shelf, before he entered the water again. Like a frog on ice, Tales from the Scotia Barrens!, I thought. What a great name for a collection of short stories about this place.

And then I went back to my favorite pond in the end, but I did it differently this time. I made some short videos as I approached the pond quietly and slowly, step by step. I took my (white) hat off and tucked it under my arm. And oh, was I rewarded! The froggies sang for me!

You may see a photo of two of the cuter frogs I've seen in the extras. They were just sitting there, looking at each other. Was it time for froggie romance? Who knows! Maybe? So I stood there a long while, taking pictures of the amphibian fest in the Barrens.

As I headed for the parking lot, I shortly realized I had dropped my hat, which I'd had tucked under my arm during frog observation time. And as I headed back up the trail to get it (found it easily!), the Barrens had one last gift for me!

What did I see but my second butterfly of the year? I may have missed the shot on the first, small, fast one we saw over at the Dry Hollow Property, but I didn't miss this one! A photo is in the extras.

You remember my stories about my sister, the Butterfly Girl, and how much I love and miss her, now that she's in Heaven with Joseph and Jesus and Dexter. When I see butterflies, I often think of her, sending me a message from where she is now.

Oh, and here's a special little part of this butterfly gift. Have you ever seen a mourning cloak? What color are the tips of its wings, typically? I'll make it easy on you: the answer is BLUE. This one has purple - my favorite color - at its wing tips! Thank you, sister. It was a wonderful butterfly!

I have three photos, so I have three songs. First is for the rock and roll party in the woods: Joan Jett, with I Love Rock 'n Roll. Second is for what happens when you walk too close: Disturbed, with The Sound of Silence. And finally, a thank you for the butterfly: Led Zeppelin, with Thank You.