Frogs
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This is the time of year when frogs begin to emerge.  It is extremely difficult to see them camouflaged against their background.  But they sing and they are loud.  However, fortunately the number of species is small and therefore there is a reasonable chance of good identification.  There are just less than 30 species in Virginia, but only 20 in our area.  One in particular is the well-named Spring Peeper.  On an evening 24hrs after a good rain, they are out in numbers.  Near a pond, they can be so deafening that you need hearing protectors.

At the bottom of the bluff on our property, temporary pools form.  I'm not sure if they are formally "Vernal Pools."  These are valuable ecological environments, and all are unique because they are separated from each other.  In any case, since Vernal Pools (per their name) appear in the spring, they are used for spawning by frogs (and toads) and salamanders.  Since these all reproduce by laying egg masses in the water, they cannot exist if there are fish, which devour the eggs.  However, fish cannot survive in pools that dry up completely.  Rainfall has been so low this year that the pools have not yet formed.  I saw some egg masses last year, but I obviously haven't found any this year yet.

Gareth Hunt, 04 April 2020