Tadpoles, Trout Lilies and Other Spring Discoveries

Gathered at the edge of a vernal pool near the end of the Ten Mile Lowlands trail off Dundee Drive, a group of hikers on Thursday found the milky white egg masses of spotted salamanders and greenish "frog rafts;" the eggs of the wood frog.

About a dozen hikers, led by town Environmental Planner Suzanne Simone, peered into the water at several small spring ponds, called vernal pools. Near the shore, the participants could see tiny, black tadpoles while salamander hatchlings could be seen near some of the egg masses.

Hans Seitz of Cheshire said he attended because he's interested in the natural world. Along the way, he found a skeleton of a portion of a deer's head that he said he couldn't wait to show to his grandchildren.

Wood frogs are often the first amphibians to emerge in the spring, according to information provided by Simone. She said the small frogs travel as far as 5,000 feet from the woods to the ponds to lay their eggs. The vernal pools are usually only filled with water in the spring.

The frogs live in woodlands during the year and hibernate under rocks, stumps and other shelter in the winter. 

The spotted salamanders arrive at vernal pools about the same time as the wood frogs, according to the information. They're known as "mole salamanders" because they spend most of their time underground in rodent holes or under rocks. 

Three children from the D'Souza family were studious in their approach to the vernal pools. The two oldest, Clyde, 6, and Daniel, 5, used their binoculars to see the egg masses more closely.

Twin brothers, five-year-old Malachi and Zachary Caldwell, carried long sticks they'd found on the ground and used them to poke around the edge of the ponds.

The town's Environment Commission has another trail walk planned on Sat., April 30 at the town-owned Casertano property at 1400 Marion Rd. The hike begins at 9 a.m. and trail maintenance kicks off at 9:45 a.m. 

The 89-acre parcel of open space provides an uninterrupted view of the Meriden traprock ridge, Simone noted. Tools, materials and instruction will be provided.

For more information, call Simone at 203-271-6670, or email her at ssimone@cheshirect.org.