Tue 6 Apr 2010
National Frog Month – Activities
Posted by Nicole under Fun and Games, Loudoun Wildlife
1 Comment
As you may recall from my post last year, April is National Frog Month! While we may laugh at how there seems to be a month or day for every cause, I get excited about a few of them and Frog Month certainly is one of those.
Of course, our season for big amphibian activity really starts up in March and goes through at least July but we’ll take April as a good time to focus in on frogs.
Here are a few ideas for things to do in celebration and appreciation of our frogs (and other amphibians) this month:
- Clean up litter around a wetland – For some reason, it’s been pushed into our psyches that streams, ponds and other waterways are a good place to dump trash. You see old refrigerators, tires, litter and all sorts of other things getting dumped in these sensitive areas. Cleaning up one of these place not only helps get rid of the pollution but also helps change that psyche. A place that has trash is more likely to get more of it. Cleaning up a location shows that someone cares about it.
- Build a frog pond – We have a great set of articles on building a backyard pond. Backyard ponds don’t have to be very large to attract visitors either so this can be lots of fun in all sorts of places. Just don’t be tempted to buy tadpoles….be patient and your local neighborhood frogs and toads will find it. And no fish please.
- Learn the frog calls and try your hand at identifying them – Frogs call primarily in the spring to both establish territories and attract mates so this is a great time of year to learn their calls. Through our amphibian monitoring program, volunteers receive an id guide as well as a cd so if you really get interested in frogs (and toads and salamanders) consider signing up but in the meantime, you can find calls on the Virginia Herpetological Society’s website.
- Join us for Frog Walk – while our April walk is already full, we’ll be doing more walks through the late spring and summer. Check our calendar for details.
- Learn about the Frogs and Toads of Loudoun – We had an article in the Habitat Herald awhile back specifically on the species of Frogs, Toads and Salamanders that we have here in Loudoun. You can read through that article and then have some fun with our Frogs and Toads crossword puzzle.
Increasing the population of frogs in your backyard also lessens the number of unwanted insects in the era – particularly flies and mosquitoes. When I was in Glendale, we tested this technique to reduce unwanted insects in our parks and recreation centers. We made ponds specifically designed for frogs to lay eggs on. Up until today, the pond thrives with life!