Vernal: A Spring Photo Project (Day 41 - Day 50)

It has been nearly a month since I shared anything on this blog.  I've have been photographing every single day for my Vernal photo project, but I have suffered from both a lack of time (and often a lack of motivation) to write.  It's been so long since I have written that my mom has started to yell at me...

Here you go, Mom.

Day 41 (29 April 2019) - Rise up

The fiddlehead of ferns emerging from the ground are one of my favorite spring photography subjects.  I have been taking pictures of them since I before I purchase my first "real" camera.  Between film and digital I probably have hundreds of images like this in my archives, but I continue to take more.  Why?  Because it screams "SPRING" and after a winter devoid of color - anything green is more than welcome.  This photograph was taken at Mill Pond Park in Mt. Pleasant.

Day 42 (30 April 2019) - Raindrops on Tulips

Most of the plants in our garden are native to Michigan with one major exception - tulips and other spring bulbs.  I can't get enough tulips.  Every few years I plant a couple hundred in the garden on the south side of the house.  In addition to the tulips, we have several other spring flowering bulbs: alliums, grape hyacinth (which spread like crazy on its own), crocuses, and striped squill. But the tulips are the star of the show - my favorites are these variegated ones that have petals that fade from red in the center through orange to yellow on the edges.  This photograph of tulips covered with raindrops was underexposed a little bit to deepen the colors of the petals and the image has been cropped around the edges.

Day 43 (01 May 2019) - May Day Raindrops

Rain was a common theme for the beginning of May.  I took this image of raindrops hitting a pool of water on land owned by Shepherd Public Schools near the south end of Shepherd.

Day 44 (02 May 2019) - Dutchman's Breeches

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) is perhaps my favorite spring wildflower (after skunk cabbage).  I photographed this stem of dutchman's breeches flowers at Chipp-A-Waters Park.  For many years I knew of only one patch of this flower in Mt. Pleasant, but in recent years it has both expanded at Chipp-A-Waters Park and begun to grow at another location along the river.  I chose this photograph because of the way the raindrops have beaded up on the flowers and stem.

Day 45 (03 May 2019) - Mayapples

What would the month of may be without mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum)?  I love how these plants pop up out of the ground  and unfurl like small umbrellas over the course of several days.  This photograph was taken at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Audubon Woods Preserve.  This species spreads both by seed and clonally by spreading roots.  Audubon Woods is home to several large colonies Mayapple.  I imaging that if you were to look at the genetic makeup of any single colony you would find that the majority of the plants share the exact same DNA.


Day 46 (04 May 2019) - Grape hyacinth

This is the fifth day in a row that my photograph featured raindrops.  When we moved into our house eight years ago there was already a flower bed planted on the south side of the house.  One of the plants present was grape hyacinth.  Over time the as we have added other species of plants the hyacinth has "migrated".  Now many of the plants appear in the lawn.  I don't really mind.  They add a lot of color and when mowed the leaves look similar to the grass.  In this image I like the contrast between the vibrant green, deep dark purple, and the glowing raindrops.  Although there is no focal point thimage just works for me.

Day 47 (05 May 2019) - White Trout Lily

If I want to see white trout lily (Erythronium albidum) in Mt. Pleasant I have to search a certain patch of woods.  Many years I search without finding a single bloom.  I once went five years between sightings.  It isn't that the plants are not there, but rather that they take so long to bloom.  Their corms (bulbs) need to store up enough sugars to produce a bloom.  In non-flowering years, the plant produces a single speckled leaf.  It can take up to seven (or maybe more) years for a plant to store enough sugar.  This year I was able find a few flowers in bloom.  I like all the detail on the pistil and stamen in this image.  You can also see specks of pollen on the petals.  This image is worth clicking on to enlarge the details.

Day 48 (06 May 2019) - Love is in the air...

I thought I missed American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) breeding season this year.  I heard them calling at Chipp-A-Waters Park during the last week of April.  Then nothing more as the period of cold rainy weather hit mid-Michigan.  Thus I was actually kind of surprised when I heard them calling again.  There is a small wetland near the the canoe landing at the park.  Around the edge of this wetland could be seen several dozen toads calling periodically from the shallows.  This individual let me sit about five feet away as I waited for it to call again.  I like this image because not only can you see the fully inflated throat sac, but you can also see the ripples in the water cause by its calling.

Day 49 (07 May 2019) - Hide-and-seek

For me 2019 has bee the year of the wood duck.  It seems like every time I walked into the woods in April or early May I would see at least one pair.  On May 7th, while walking a trail at Mill Pond Park in Mt. Pleasant, I passed a small seasonal wetland.  Something caught my eye.  This wood duck drake was doing his best to "hide" perched atop this downed log, but his camouflage scheme left something to be desired.

Day 50 (08 May 2019) - A view of the sky

My final image of this set was taken at Chipp-A-Waters Park.  We spend so much time looking down, sometimes it's just nice to look up and take in the sky over our heads.  I like how the trees frame this opening, the bright green of their newly emerging leaves, an the varying shades of blue sky.

Native Species Profile - American Toad

Michigan is home to twenty-three species of amphibians (ten salamanders and thirteen toads/frogs).  Some species are extremely rare, others can be found throughout the state.  One of the most common species is the American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus).  Not only is the American Toad common in Michigan, it is common across the eastern United States and Canada.  It ranges from the Atlantic Coast west to a line running from Manitoba through the eastern edge of the Dakotas south to northeast Texas.  It is found as far north as Hudson Bay and as far south as northern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

American Toad in a lawn

The American Toad has such a broad range because unlike most amphibian it often ranges far from water.  The American Toad does need water for breeding, but during the rest of the year it is found in a variety of habitats ranging from woodlands to prairies, lawns, and fields.  In the winter it hibernates below ground.

Male American Toads calling for mates - note the inflated throats

The American Toad is generally colored in shades of brown or tan, although red or green individuals are sometimes found.  Their bodies are covered with a variety of bumps or "warts" - the largest warts are located behind the eyes.  These are actually a pair of glands (parotid glands) that secrete a toxic liquid if the toad is attacked.  This poison ensures that very few animals will eat toads.  The Eastern Hognose Snake does not seem to be affected by the venom and common preys on toads.  I have also seen an American Robin eating tiny toads just as they emerged from a pond after metamorphosis.

American Toad - note squat body, short legs, and numerous warts

The American Toad generally reaches a length of 2 to 4 inches as an adult.  Unlike frogs, it is a weak hopper with (relatively) short hind legs and a stout body.  When traveling short distances it often walks instead of hopping.


As an adult, the American Toad is a carnivore.  It eats a diet consisting of insects, spiders, worms, slugs, and other invertebrates.  The small black toad tadpoles are herbivores; they scrape algae from the surface of plants and other objects in the water.

American Toad eggs are deposited in strings and covered with a thick mucous to deter predators

This species was recently reclassified based on genetic information.  It was formerly known by the scientific name Bufo americanus.  Most field guides and other books will list the species under this old name.

Basic Information

American Toad
Anaxyrus americanus (formerly known as Bufo americanus)

Size:  2-4" long

Habitat:  woodlands, prairies, wetlands, lawns, fields

Eats:  insects, worms, spiders, slugs

Two Ponds in Two Days - Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Sampling

One of the best things about my work is having the opportunity to get kids outside and expose them to the habitats and wildlife in their own hometown.  Last week I was able to get five classes off of school grounds to explore a couple of local ponds.  Here are a few pictures.

The first pictures were taken at Mill Pond Park in Mt. Pleasant on Thursday May 29th.  Two 3rd grade classes from Ganiard Elementary walked down the street from their school to join me in searching for aquatic macroinvertebrates.  The other two 3rd grade classes from the school will be doing the same thing later this week.

On Friday May 30th, the 3rd - 5th grade classrooms from Winn Elementary met me at a private pond near their school.  We were lucky to receive permission from the land owner to use this pond.  This meant that the students were able to walk to this site, instead of having to take a bus to a location far from their school.  Many students pass this pond every day on their bus ride to school.  Now they know what kinds of animals can be found swimming around in it.

Love is in the Air... umm... Pond. Love is in the Pond.

With apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson...

"In the Spring a young Toad's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love."

Traditionally May Day was a celebration of Spring, the growing season, and fertility.  Yesterday, I found a pond full of American Toads (Bufo americanus) doing their best to celebrate May Day in a traditional way.