The beginning of April showed us so many signs of spring over here in Stowe! From Red-winged Blackbirds singing to buds emerging, we are getting ready for the warm months ahead!
These past few weeks, I have been preparing for spring and summer with school groups and other programs in the Stowe community. Last Friday, (April 12th) I taught a short lesson at Mountain River School on Amphibians in Vermont. We talked about the emergence of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) and a variety of other common VT amphibians that are arriving this spring. We also installed cover boards in two different locations on MRS property. The use of cover boards is a non-invasive way to monitor amphibians, as it traps moisture and provides shelter. Cover boards are a great way to survey what species we may find on MRS property! I will be returning to MRS in a few weeks to see if we can find some fun creatures.
While exploring MRS property, we found an awesome sign of wildlife; beaver spit on a recently gnawed tree! There are many ways you can spot signs of wildlife, such as: looking for tracks and foot prints, finding scat (poop), or looking for remnants of an old nesting area. While exploring this spring, see if you can find some other signs of wildlife on your adventures! Just remember that if you see any animals/signs of wildlife respect and give them space!
After a fun morning with Mountain River School, I went and visited <link conserved properties wiessner-woods>Wiessner Woods and the <link conserved properties milltrail>Mill Trail property. I completed some iNaturalist observations (up to date, check it out!) and visited the Gnome Home and the Mill Trail Cabin.
With the warm weather coming, please consider joining me at Mill Trail Open Houses this summer! Activities and events can be found on the Stowe Land Trust <link events>“Events & Outings” page. We hope to see you there!