RIDGE RUNNER CHRONICLES: Spring Creepers—The First True Sounds of Spring
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By BILL HOAGLAND
Spring is such a beautiful time to be alive—so many visual pleasures that together remind us again that we are all being reborn in the spring. And if you spend time outside in the spring, you know what I am talking about: first, the wild plumb trees with their delicate white flowers, followed soon by the red buds, May apples, and a riot of flowering wildflowers, such as the sweet Williams, bluebells, and then the flowering dogwoods. But these springtime joys are all visual. Spring has some beautiful sounds too, so let’s talk about a wonderful sound of spring that you hear all the time without knowing what it is—the sound of the spring creepers—a frog that usually starts singing as soon as it stops raining.
I did not get curious about spring creepers until I read “Headless Males Make Great Lovers” by Marty Crump, a tropical field biologist. (Who could resist that title, right?) In this book, Crump discusses quirky animal behavior, including the male praying mantis who continues to mate after being beheaded, birds that offer food in exchange for sex, and what Crump refers to as “satellite males”, meaning males (such as the spring creeper) who want to breed but who don’t have the necessary ingredients to attract a female on their own; instead, these “satellites” wait in the wings next to a sexy sounding cousin because they might get lucky by simply being in the right place at the right time. Sound familiar?
The spring creeper is a tiny frog, technically known as the “pseudacris crucifer”, that is about one inch in length and one that we rarely see even though they are surprisingly quite common in the rural areas of the eastern US. If you are still drawing a blank on this, get on YouTube and type in “spring creepers”; if you spend any time outdoors in the spring, you will immediately recognize this sound. It is a sound that, if you leave the bedroom window open overnight, can easily lure you to sleep. These are males, making their sounds of love at a rate of 1.5 croaks per second thanks to a balloon-like diaphragm below their jaw that when filled with air, looks larger than the body of the frog doing the croaking. These sounds of love can sometimes be heard as far away as two miles. And yes, the female spring creepers find the louder males to be the more attractive mate.
The spring creeper is a true environmental survivor–an amphibian that has evolved with some interesting adaptations. For example, to deal with the sudden temperature changes of the early spring, the spring creeper has a glucose cryoprotectant in his circulatory system that essentially acts as anti-freeze and allows the spring creeper to survive a significant drop in temperature. He also has the ability to change colors if the circumstances require it in order to survive. And in anticipation of the spring breeding season, the male begins accumulating spermatozoa during the preceding fall so that he will be “ready” if and when the opportunity presents itself.
Note: The word “crucifer” in the official name “pseudacris crucifer” refers to the fact that the markings on the dorsal side of the spring creeper appear to resemble a cross being carried at an angle.
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■ Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County. Bill can be reached at [email protected].
