Everywhere you look; there are babies at Briar Bush! Some are obvious, looking different from the adults or those that are still reliant on their parents for food, and some that achieve independence early in life are less apparent.
It doesn’t take long once you’ve arrived at the Briar Bush pond to notice that the water is practically bubbling with tadpoles. Green frogs (which is the true species name and not just a description) of every life stage can be found in the pond, from legless tadpoles to the giant, bullfrog-like adults. What I think is most fascinating about the life cycle of the green frog is that it takes two years for the tadpoles to complete their metamorphosis into their adult form. They spend the winter snuggled beneath a mud blanket at the bottom of the pond, much like their legged elders.
Common grackle fledglings are also taking Briar Bush by storm! Rather than being colored black with beautiful iridescent feathers on the neck and head like the adults, juvenile common grackles are a matte blackish-brown. They are also easy to spot as they mercilessly follow their parents around, constantly squawking to be fed. I had to laugh this week as I saw a young grackle at the bird observatory, begging to be fed while standing atop a pile of sunflower seeds. When not at the bird observatory, the grackles love to flick and throw dried leaves on the ground outside of my office window in the hopes of finding a tasty insect to eat.
If you’ve been to Briar Bush recently and are thinking that there are an unusually high number of chipmunks here in our woods, you’re exactly right; what you’re seeing is a whole forest full of young chipmunks. Young chipmunks don’t emerge from their underground burrow until they are almost fully matured and independent, so by the time we see them above ground, they blend right in with the adults. The next time you’re out on the trails, count how many chipmunks you see or hear and let me know your tally by posting a comment below!
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