Peepers

Ere yet the earliest warbler wakes, of coming spring to tell,
From every marsh a chorus breaks, a choir invisible,
As if the blossoms underground, a breath of utterance had found.
- Tabb


They’re here! Tonight we heard our favorite harbinger of spring – the delightful sound of spring peepers. As of now, their call is fairly faint, and we are not hearing any in our front yard pond yet, but it should only be a matter of days until we are surrounded with the cry that tells us we indeed have nearly made it through another winter. Sometimes it snows after they hatch, but they still call, making all the difference between that and a January snow. We had all made guesses about when we would first hear them, and Amanda won, though even she had not predicted their appearance until next week.

Not everyone finds their noise as peaceful as our family does. Once a “city-slicker” friend, at our house for a homeschool co-op on a rainy spring day, was certain that someone’s car alarm was going off. We had a hard time convincing her that it was just the peepers in the pond, enjoying the cold wet day.

Though these little (about 1”) brown creatures are easily heard, they are much harder to see. Occasionally, and only during rain, they make an appearance at our house. One late night I drove into the wet garage to discover it was filled with these little froglets. Another time they decided to cover the window on our basement door, which was really cool as we were able to watch them climb with their sticky feet. Some of the kids have tried to find them by taking a flashlight down to the pond at night, but they get quiet as soon as people are around, making them difficult to spot. Kara did catch one this way and kept it as a pet for a while.

When we have seen them, they have always been brown, but apparently peepers have the ability to change colors like chameleons, which helps them remain elusive. But I don’t care if I see them or not; hearing their cheerful peep is enough for me. Yes, spring, with redbud and dogwood blossoms, and those lovely ephemeral woodland wildflowers which bloom only before tree leaves sprout, will be here soon!


Ge 8:22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease."

Comments

mrsd said…
The Song of Solomon 1:11 and 12

11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
Anonymous said…
Thanks Kris. I was starting to get so desperate that I considered stealing a car or finding someone with a car and making him take me out far enough to hear some. I still might, but at least I can wait a little bit...
Kim said…
I was at our co-op planning meeting on Tuesday. Afterwards, Linda and I stood outside and visited in the rain. The reason I stood so long was in the distance I could hear the Peepers! I grew up playing with frogs so when I hear the peepers I am flooded with happy memories as well as the hope for spring. I love the quote from Mrs.D, by the way, I used it in my blog about the Bewicks Wren. Yes, the time of the singing of birds is come!

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