Breaking News: Spring Is Here!
With the arrival of Spring Peepers, Daffodils, and tree leaf-buds, it’s safe to say “Spring has Sprung!”
MTHS in Spring, by Sam Verdi
March 23, 2023
Now that it’s spring, it’s about time to start:
Planting for your garden. Depending on what you are trying to grow, March and April are the best times to generally begin planting. The earlier you plant, the more rewarding it will be to see your garden blooming in the summer!
Listening for the Spring Peepers. Spring Peepers are a species of frog that emerge from their winter sleep in early spring (around March) and are a key sign that Spring is here. They are known for their loud, high pitched calls and are normally heard in choruses more than seen. The males sing loud to attract females, as their breeding season starts now. They typically gather near small bodies of water, and are identifiable by their small size, pale orange, tan, gray, or green skin, and a big distinct “X” marking on their back.
Look out for migratory birds! Birds like ospreys and songbirds will make their return here to nest and enjoy the sunny warm weather. Ospreys are predatory birds found along the coast, building huge nests and fishing for food.
Walk the boardwalks. It will get crowded soon with the summer crowd, so take advantage of the nice weather and not-so-busy boardwalks!
Walk or bike some trails. The notorious summertime mosquitoes aren’t out yet, so going outside on a nice spring day to take a walk is more enjoyable around now. Some good trails to walk are trails at Cattus Island County Park, Jakes Branch County Park, and Cloverdale County Park. Some nice biking trails are the Barnegat Rail Trail, the Manasquan Reservoir, and the Veterans Memorial Park in Whiting. Links to their websites can be found below under ‘sources.’
Sources:
Veterans Memorial Park (two links: article and directions to it): https://manchestertwp.com/memorial-day-2017-world-war-ii-veterans-memorial-park-whiting/
Manasquan Reservoir: https://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?ID=2531
Cattus Island County Park: https://www.oceancountyparks.org/frmRegContentPrks?ID=0751673c-9513-4ecc-8f3e-3e65b0f2ec45
Jakes Branch County Park: https://www.oceancountyparks.org/frmRegContentPrks?ID=0694b294-986f-46e6-a679-d03ac775c176
Cloverdale County Park: https://www.oceancountyparks.org/frmRegContentPrks?ID=bd2ea943-fd87-4f75-b7b4-a1658788288d
Barnegat Rail Trail: https://www.oceancountyparks.org/frmRegContentPrks?ID=dff0a154-b270-4233-b16e-2adb6e59a243
National Fish and Wildlife: https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Amphibians/Spring-Peeper