Goose Pond Mountain Boardwalk

Accompanied by the sound of a couple of spring peepers, confused by the spring-like weather, and the lone call of a gray tree frog, the Nature Strollers were disheartened to see that the toad pond is still dried up, and the second pond is within days of the same fate. The third pond is down by half.

Dakota ventured out on the muck and found a puddle full of wiggling fish and tadpoles, one of the strollers, with a particularly good arm from softball practice, tossed him a net and he rescued a great number of the stranded vertebrates. These he dropped into the third pond, where they stand a better chance, provided some rain comes eventually. Many of the invertebrates we typically find in the ponds are probably dormant, under the mud and waiting for the rain.
We caught a clouded sulphur butterfly on the far side of the third pond, and found an adult praying mantis in the pine trees.

The stinkhorn mushrooms are still visible in the parking lot and it is necessary to step carefully when trying to reach the car.