Naturally Wild

Nature Play Outing

The Greenville Zoo Nature Play Club is having an outing on Saturday night the 19^th at Lake Conestee. We are gearing up with Greenville Zoo’s frog specialist to explore the nature trails and sharpen our frog identifying skills. Come out and join the fun! The scheduled time is from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Please email the Education Department if you would like to join us at zooed@greenvillesc.gov.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g54185-d1763147-i84599328-Lake_Conestee_Nature_Park-Conestee_South_Carolina.html

                                            http://www.examiner.com/article/the-decorator-s-guide-to-creating-a-campground-your-backyard

 

 

 

 

Hop to It!

To get prepared for this frog identifying event check out these frog calls and see if you can learn to recognize them.

 

Frogs are commonly heard at night in the warmer months, so don’t be afraid to spend a family night outside! Take an evening to create a pretend “campsite”, or be really adventurous and set up a real campsite just off the back porch. Your backyard can still hold many nighttime adventures even in the city. Build a camp fire (be sure to receive permission from your local fire department), and snuggle around in sleeping bags. Once the night has set, listen quietly to hear the sounds of the night. Maybe you can hear frog songs, or chirping insects, maybe even a howling dog!

 

 

Have you ever noticed how at night time, when we can’t rely on our eyes, other senses pick up the slack? Little noises become more noticeable and our sense of smell becomes more sensitive. Lay in the cool grass as the sun sets and feel your senses transition from sight to sound. Can you hear the more vulnerable animals coming out to play? As the predators of the day fall asleep, it is safe for animals like frogs to come out at night. In the cool air, they start to look for food and family. Males start to croak, which are matting calls, or songs, to try to attract a female. If you listen closely it makes a swamp symphony. Northern cricket frogs click like two marbles tapping together. Green tree frogs make a distinctive “quank” “quank” song. Listen closely for the broken banjo string from the green frog which make the leopard frog laugh with a trilling chuckle. Even before spring official arrives, you might hear spring peepers that sound like sleigh bells.

 

 

This raucous in the night is actually a beautiful sign of a healthy habitat. See if you can use items around your house to mimic the frogs’ calls and make your own swamp symphony.