New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Of toads, peepers and birds galore. The sky, the trees and the earth is full of life, plump full.

Wednesday 05/16/2007

Without a doubt the next week or two will see more living creatures in the Granite State that at any other moment of time of the year. Here's why:

Wood frog eggs have already hatched with millions of tiny comma sized tadpoles swimming about the vernal pools scattered across the state. Life is cruel to the smallest of creatures so soon the numbers will be whittled by life. But not before the spring peepers hatch too and followed soon after by the American toad eggs hatching.

You must be noticing the bugs by now if you spend any time outdoors. At least the black flies and now emerging mayflies. Insects are hatching by the millions of millions right now. Hey, somebody has got to feed all the other things about to hatch.

And that is the birds, from turkeys to over a hundred species of other birds, they will be hatching too next week.

Deer and moose babies are right behind by the end of the month or soon after, while foxes, coyotes, beaver and most mammals have certainly already added their count to this growing total.

Down on the coast the river herring have been migrating up into the freshwater to spawn by the tens of thousands. Just one plump female can cast 200,000 eggs into the water that will hatch in a few days. Thus tens of millions of baby herring are hatching right now. Similar numbers of yellow and white perch as well as other freshwater species are spawning across the state right now too. So all our rivers and lakes are filling with life simultaneously.

The air is full of bird songs balanced by the calls of toads by late afternoon at my house and the chorus of peepers into the dark of the night. My lilacs are starting to bloom which I think is right on schedule. It looks to me like spring has caught up with itself and everything is back on track to an average spring. It's amazing how a couple of 80+ degree days can shore up a late spring. The local farmer is planting his corn as well, right on schedule. New Hampshire is full of life RIGHT NOW, so be sure to enjoy it. Go out and find some of those tadpoles yourself.