Show me an example Maine Moose Tracks - Greenville Maine Moose Watching Tours: May 2014

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Jeepers Creepers.... Where'd you get those peepers


For the first time since I have been an “adult”, managing my own household, I actually have a front porch sitting area, it’s like all of my wildest dreams are coming true! Though it’s still a little on the chilly side in the evenings, it’s nothing a hot cup of chamomile tea, and a fuzzy blanket can’t fix. One of the reasons I am jumping for joy over my portico of solitude is the spring peepers.  If you have never experienced an evening of silence, accompanied by these chorus frogs (yes, it’s a frog not an insect) you are lacking some serious happy place moments.  For me, it’s one of those things that take me back to simpler times, kind of like Laura Ingles Wilder, only a bit more stylish.
For me, yesterday was a particularly trying day. After working, I wanted desperately to get into the woods. One of my favorite activities up here is to go hiking, as we have some of the best hiking spots in Maine! That unfortunately didn’t happen, because of the lovely rain we have been getting. Like the winter wasn’t long enough, now we seem to be living in a dimension where it’s raining from all sides of the universe, and is never going to end. The warmth of the sun is just a distant memory, much like The Macarena (only way hotter).  I then had to deal with a four year old, whose mood swings these days are comparable to those of Russell Brand. Yeah, yeah, she’s a bit cuter, but you get the picture. So for me, once I tamed my daughter’s temper, and snuggled her into bed, I headed for my sprightly sitting area as quickly as I could, before I had a Russell Brand moment myself. As soon as I stepped onto my porch and heard those peepers, suddenly all was right with the world. It was as if my front porch had become a utopia, and the only other living creatures were these musical angels, sent to deliver a song specific to me.  I know that sounds a bit intense, but the feeling accompanied with their song is intense.
So what is a peeper? I have clued you in to the fact that they are actually a frog, not an insect, as I’ve found most people believe.  Peepers are found in Eastern United States, and Canada. There are two different species of spring peepers, here in Maine; we have what is called the Pseudacris crucifer, which sounds more like the name of a terrible rap singer, than a musical genius. I have never heard them referred to as anything other than a peeper, but apparently there are a number of different names used to describe a peeper, depending on geographic location. On Martha’s Vineyard, they are commonly called pinkletinks, in Canada, tinkletoes or pink-winks. For me, they can’t be described in anyway, other than a peeper. These other names are all too reminiscent of something you’d see in a ballet recital, and though I am pretty great at making connections, I struggle to draw that line.  So for me, they’re simply “peepers”. Peepers frequent forests and regenerating woodlands. They require marshes, ponds, or swamps to support the aquatic environment the eggs and tadpoles need. One of the coolest thing I’ve discovered about peepers, is that they can tolerate some of their body fluids freezing, how cool is that?  I feel like this would be super helpful for the crazy people who live way up here in Maine!
We are some lucky peeps here in Maine. I know people who have lived in the concrete jungle for so long, they don’t even know what the big dipper looks like. This sounds ludacris to all of us up here in God’s Country, but it’s the truth. We are so blessed with all that Mother Nature has to offer, all available as soon as we skip out the front door. I encourage you all to become more aware of what we are offered here in the North Woods as a playground. Instead of turning on the latest episode of Hell’s Kitchen, step outside, and just listen to nature’s calling. I promise, it will be far more relaxing than Gordon Ramsey’s shrieking as though he is a spider monkey calling to his mate.
 I’m off, searching for my next new adventure, maybe it will involve something with a little more zing than sitting on my porch, tea in hand, and my fuzzy blanket.  Any suggestions on adventuring in our little piece of paradise are more than welcome, I promise to write an at least mildly intriguing blog about any adventure you set me off with! 

Amber