Tiny Tadpoles

What are these underwater blobs? They contain eggs--lots and lots of eggs!


In March and April, frogs, toads, and salamanders lay their eggs. These amphibians spend part of their lives in water, and part of their lives on the land. If you look carefully in ponds, you can often find some of these eggs. Often you can even see the tiny animals developing inside.

Different amphibians lay their eggs in different places. Wood frogs, for example, only lay eggs in vernal pools. Vernal pools are special ponds that are only wet in the spring time. The pool in the picture above dries up completely in the summer. Because of this, no fish can live there. This means that the tadpoles will be safe from predators!

Other kinds of tadpoles can stay safe from predators, even in larger bodies of water. The American toad lays its eggs in ponds and lakes. They share the water with larger animals, like fish. But these toad tadpoles stay in the very shallow water of the lake. This way, they are out of reach of the larger fish!

Tadpoles are easy to find in ponds and lakes. Are there any near you? Try visiting a local nature center or park and asking if there are tadpoles nearby. Be sure to take a parent or adult with you if you go near the water. Can you find any eggs? What about tadpoles? Good luck!

A Stinky Sign of Spring

By the middle of February, many people are hoping for warmer weather. Skunk cabbage flowers are one sign that spring is on the way!

Skunk cabbage flowers don't look like much. They are not showy and colorful like the flowers that bloom later in the year. However, skunk cabbage flowers are pretty special. They are one of the earliest flowers to bloom. Even when the ground is covered in snow, skunk cabbage flowers can be found.

How can they grow through the cold ground? Skunk cabbage flowers can heat up the air around them! The warmth they give off helps to melt the snow and ice. Scientists think that the warmth might also help insects to smell the flower.

The insects, of course, are the reason for the flower. Small insects that are active in the early spring smell the skunk cabbage. They spread the skunk cabbage's pollen from flower to flower.

While insects might like the scent of the skunk cabbage flower, people certainly don't. And that's how the plant got its stinky name! The leaves, which will poke up out of the ground in a month or so, also have a bad smell.

Even though skunk cabbage isn't the most beautiful, or the sweetest-smelling, it is a wonderful sign of spring.