It may not feel like it lately, but spring IS here. Nature is telling us so. Loudly.

by Marlene Berlin

When the calendar says mid-April but the temperatures are more early March… well, it’s discouraging.

But take heart. Nature knows that a warm-up is right around the corner. We saw early signs in the blossoming trees and blooming daffodils of early March. Early this month, wildflower blooms gave us another hint of spring’s arrival. And now, the trees are greening up nicely.

Soapstone Valley in mid-April (photo by Marlene Berlin)

Birds are chattering in my backyard, punctuated by the occasional distant caw of a crow. And I’m hearing the first faint sounds of the American toad in the evening.

Last Saturday evening, I took a stroll down to Broad Branch Stream to see (and mostly to hear) the frogs performing. I was not disappointed.

As I came upon Broad Branch I first heard what sounds to be crickets, which I think is a Northern cricket frog.

Then, as I walked east along the mostly dried out pools, the sounds of the spring peepers and American toads grew symphonic as I came upon the water-filled pool where Linnean Stream merges with Broad Branch.

The toad’s trill is the background accompaniment to the peepers’ soprano song.

This is a magical experience and one I look forward to starting in April… though not everyone does. The chorus will only grow louder – and better.