My Peeps

The peepers call from across the yard.
Even in the brightness of late afternoon, as I arrive home, several shrill voices greet me. By nightfall, the sound will be deafening.

From the distant corners of our "neighborhood"--as we walk our country block--this sound of jingling sleighbells from Little Pond pool can be heard.

With my boots and flashlight, I head off across the grass toward the din.
My footsteps do not seem to bother them as I approach. Their piercing calls masking all other noise.

One pass of my light across the surface of the pool silences them.


I settle in and wait, light dimmed inside my jacket, eyes scanning the surface. The moment's silence is hurriedly filled with their voices again.
First, one.
Then, many.

From the safety of the water, they emerge,
with tree-frog toe pads to perches and rafts above the surface.
The chorus goes on until dawn.

If you look closely at these pictures, you can see small, dark mosquito larvae that will make up some of the invertebrates--an important food source for the developing salamanders in these vernal pools. A healthy amphibian population here should keep these well controlled.