Herping at Trent's Canal Nature Area

The weather this past few days has been quite amazing - warm and humid during the day and then periodic downpours (with thunders) in the late afternoon - the kind where you will be completely soaked if you happen to be outside during the downpours.

View from my office window.

The Herpetology class went out today to Trent's Canal Nature Area to survey the frogs based on their calls, and I volunteered myself to help out.  We went out  yesterday to check out the sites and heard mostly Grey Tree Frogs calling and one lone Spring Peeper.

We also stumbled upon two Green Frogs (Rana clamitans).

The class started the surveying with a pond along the road side.  It was pretty difficult to hear the frogs because of the cars driving by.  The weather was pretty nice then, and one student predicted thunderstorm at 18:30.

First damselfly of the year!

The heavy rain yesterday completely flooded one part of the trail.

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) with an ant visiting it.

Common Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium montanum) - so pretty.

The sky around 18:50.  See the larger photo here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/psyl/8828989822/.

Shortly after taking the above photo, heavy rain (with lighting) started to fall and so we had to round up all of the students and called it a day.