Wood Frog on a Green Frog - April 9 2008

This male wood frog is on top of the green frog.

Wood & Western Chorus Frogs Calling - April 7, 2008

Here is a male western chorus frog “puffing up” to call for a mate.

As I’m watching these wood frogs I notice the vibration that their call makes in the water.

Notice the rings in the water.  I also notice that sometimes the males move in the water when they call which changes there call.

Green Frog Jumping into the Vernal Pond - April 7 2008

On the edge of one of camp’s vernal ponds this green frog jumps to safety.

Frogs - March 31 2008

As I was salamander hunting I found these frogs.

Here’s a Western chorus frog. The first one I’ve found in the wild. This frog only gets to be about an inch long.

Fungus on a downed tree branch - March 16, 2008

Wildflowers, Insects, & Amphibians by the Lower Flat- August 16 2007

I’m not sure what plant this is.  The purple plant in the back is the invasive plant, purple loosestrife.

HPIM3573, originally uploaded by Camp Naturalist.

Bumble bee on Goldenrod.

Wasp and another insect on goldenrod

Mayfly on Autumn Olive(Autumn Olive is an invasive species).

I think this might be an early phase of a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar on spicebush leave(?). It looks like bird scat which is great camouflage.  If this is a spicebush swallowtail then the silk that it’s sitting on will be used to seal up the leave as it transforms.

Here’s what it looks like with its antenae out:

Here’s a yellow jacket(upside down) eating a dead cicada(circle of life).

Here’s the after effects of a leaf miner on the shrubs by main beach at Camp Friedenswald

 Here’s a spring peeper.

Colorful Milkweed Tussocks Moth caterpillar(Euchaetes egle) on a milkweed plant.

Female praying mantis.

Nature Adventure Camp 2007

Presentation 1, originally uploaded by Camp Naturalist.

What a blast! The campers learned so much!

Here’s the audio(mp3) of what the kids liked best about nature camp 2007(the survival game was obviously a big hit). Kid’s Nature Camp 2007 Audio Evaluation (mp3)
Here’s a list of some of the many things that we did:

Get to know you games
Camping out
Fishing
Canoeing
Fire Kites
Bug Suckers
Bird Calls
Bird Adaptations
Water Slide
Archery
Swimming
Swamp Hike
Campfire Songs
Gift of Nature, God, Ourselves, & History

 

Toads calling and mating - May 1, 2007

Friedenswald’s staff are on a day retreat in a bed and breakfast in Middlebury, Indiana, when we hear toads calling.

A male and female find each other.

 

 

This male is still hopefully calling.

I love the way this guy’s throat expands as he calls.

Bullfrog on the Fen- March 27 2007

IMG_7825_crop

It’s a warm sunny day(low 70’s). There are 5 or 6 frogs that jump in the water as I approach.