Do you know the signs of spring phenology to look for? Phenology is nature’s calendar, the appearance of life cycle events and the timing of when plants and animals change through the seasons. As spring arrives, days become longer and temperatures warmer and animals and plants respond to these clues from the environment.

Some of the frog calls to listen for in March are from these early breeders: American Toads, Pickerel Frogs, Chorus Frogs, and Spring Peepers (pictured). Come April, most of these male frogs will stop calling to attract females and other frog species will start calling. Look for insects to start to emerge, like caterpillars. Many birds time their nesting so that eggs hatch when insects are available to feed their nestlings. Insects often synchronize their emergence with the leafing out of trees.

Red maples are some of the first trees to flower. From a distance, you can see their red flowers before their leaves emerge. Some of my favorite early wildflowers are the trout lily, hepatica, trailing arbutus and bloodroot (pictured). Buckeyes are some of the first trees to leaf or green out.

On our trails here at Roper Mountain, look for early signs of spring and observe the phenology of seasonal timing of plants and animals. Visit us during our Afternoon Explorations to learn more about the animals and plants in our area.