Cape Cod Inn Blog

Spring Peeper

One of the sure signs that spring is returning to Cape Cod is when we hear the distinctive chirp of the Northern spring peeper heralding the news that warmer weather is on its way. Often you hear only an isolated high-pitched peep, which sounds like a loud baby chick or a smoke detector in need of a battery. At other times it can be more of a melodious chorus of chirping. Cape Codders usually start hearing the shrill mating call of the male tree frog echoing from bogs, marshes, and other wetlands towards the end of March. The frogs usually call in the late afternoon to evening but also on overcast and rainy days. Its proper name is “Pseudacris crucifer”, appropriately named for the rough cross on its back.The Cape Cod Times reported that the first peepers were heard locally on March 27th this year. Other sure signs of spring we seen and heard are the brilliant canary yellow summer garb of the male gold finch, bright purple and white crocuses peaking through the earth, and the ubiquitous robin redbreast, and my mother‘s favorite, the skunk cabbage. Ahhh, if we only had smellovision….

To learn more about the spring peeper, see a photograph and listen to its distinctive chirp, click here: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/spring-peeper.html

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 7:31 pm and is filed under Cape Cod Seasons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.