MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 17, 2024
One of the coolest events of the year for any herper (a fan of herpetology; aka the amphibian and reptile people) is the Big Night. The big night typically happens on the first warm and rainy night of the spring (45 degrees or warmer) when the majority of amphibians – frogs and salamanders – emerge from the burrows where they overwintered and journey back to the vernal pools they were born in, to breed. Conditions for a Big Night may not occur until April, but it is a good idea to be prepared because you often don’t know if the weather conditions will be just right until just before it happens. Maine Audubon is hosting a webinar on March 28 called “Herp” Tales: Lessons from Maine’s Reptiles and Amphibians. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox