Will it be a silent spring?

[nwmnnaturalist]

This year, we had a very small amount of snow. Our normal winter snowfall amounts range from 3 feet to 4 feet. This winter, we got about 6-8 inches TOTAL. 99% of it has already melted, and breeding conditions for many of our amphibians is not looking very good. They are forecasting scattered showers and thunderstorms, but we will need a really good, wet spring to help our little slimeys get their breeding ponds back in shape.

I'm including a photo comparison. The top photo was taken in early April of last year. We had our average snowfall, perhaps a bit more. I took the bottom photo just yesterday. A sad sight indeed. This pond is a MAJOR breeding sight for Pseudacris maculata, Pseudacris crucifer, Rana sylvatica and a couple of Toad species, as well as Ambystoma laterale.

How are conditions favoring for y'all? Crazy weather is happening all over the world, and this will provide crucial information on how climate change, seasonal patterns and human interference is affecting our populations, local and elsewhere.

 

[Linus]

I've heard they're already forecasting an extremely mild spring with very little rainfall due to the extremely mild winter.

:\

 

[KingCam]

Several of the vernal pools in Jackson County, MO are also looking pretty pathetic, but we're supposed to get lots of rain next week, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for that!

 

[otolith]

We've had about half our normal rainfall in northern CA. There are some Ambystoma californiense breeding ponds close to my house that were pretty much dry all season. We've finally starting getting some solid spring rain and the pools are looking much more normal. Still got another 5 or so days forecasted so we should be in okay shape. I can hear the Pseudacris regilla going nuts every night if I leave my windows open, they can breed pretty much anywhere it seems.

I was still spotting T. torosa, T. granulosa and T. rivularis migrating in the early winter (Nov/Dec) despite the dry weather so I think they are a bit better able to cope with the drier conditions than Ambystomids. They should all be migrating in heavy numbers now though, need to go out one of these rainy nights with a flashlight!

 

[Katniss]

The pond near my house [ frogs and toads lay eggs there] is lacking water too, i am worried but it has enough water not as bad as yours. Its water level is just low! Well the weather gets better!:wacko:

 

[JessKB]

We're lucky here in Michigan. We've been getting slammed with storms the last couple weeks and the salamanders and frogs are in full breeding mode right now. In just one night I was able to witness a couple hundred sals including : laterale, maculatum, tigrinum, and notos. And that was just in 3 different ponds. Hopefully It will get better where you are!

 

[Molch]

we've had the coldest winter since 1970ies or so, and the coldest January on record. Much more wind than average too. The snow has been blown hard as concrete. Molch hopes that we'll have a quick breakup and a warm spring so that she can catch Daphnia at the pond just as the larvae are getting big

 

[John]

I wouldn't draw any conclusions based on a two year comparison. Amphibians are built to overcome bad years.

 

[Lamb]

I wouldn't draw any conclusions based on a two year comparison. Amphibians are built to overcome bad years.

John makes a good point. This may just be a poor breeding year for many places, but for many species the same adults may not breed every year, or the ponds may occur in a metapopulation structure which can cope with a "sink" pond every year or so.

That being said, it has been a very odd year in terms of weather for us (southern Mississippi). It's been around 10-15 degrees warmer than it is on average during this part of the year. I've been hotter out in the field than I recall being last year. I've heard that we're supposed to have a wet spring, but that may mean nothing because others have speculated that we're going to have an abnormally warm late spring/early summer. So the wet spring may result in lots of breeding, that then goes to waste.

I've only just started working in an ephemeral pond system, and wish we were getting more rain so that the ponds would be a bit more stable. But that seems to be the nature of ephemeral ponds, to some degree. But it hasn't been bad luck everywhere. I think that Jackson, MS has gotten more rain that we have down here, and a friend who monitors a handful of ephemeral ponds has seen a lot of salamander action.

Years with weather like this is one reason it can be good to be a mammal

 

[Katniss]

I agree , the weather has been crazy , but they should be ok! The population will not increase much this year , but it will not decrease very much!

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Loud as all get out here, the bullfrogs, leopards, Pseudacris and Hyla have been singing up a storm. No toads yet here. As of yet I haven't found any tigers, but the flooding here last year completely destroyed my stomping grounds. Have to start from scratch here.

 

[caudatadude28]

In WI we have had a mild winter with little snow accumulations and spring came in early march. The past few days have been 66-76F. thats about 30 degrees above normal. I hear spring peepers every night. Im not sure if the salamanders have moved a lot because we havent had any rain and our ponds are at risk of drying up if we dont have much rain because the last few summers have yielded little rainfall.

 

[EasternNewtLove]

I'm starting to be worried about this year.. I've had 75-80 degree weather this whole week... There will be lots of rain this weekend in NH. I really hope it gets better. I like hot weather as much as the next guy, but it belongs in the summer. Not spring. Not silent though, I've heard spring peepers. Such a beautiful sound they make.

 

[KingCam]

Welp, we've had a ton of rain in the past week. Forget what I said about Jackson county, MO's vernal pools being dry.

 

[sallie2010]

I was just out around Boone County saw frogs, tadpoles, and eggs. Saw one lesser serine but that was it. I hit an area that should have been crawling with sallies but found none.
It may be a silent year but I think we are going to get hit with a freeze one more time...Missouri has seen this type of weather before.