Program Spotlight: Frogs!

Spring is so close!  How can you tell?  Listen!

In the coming days and weeks, you will hear more and more peeps, croaks, and chuckles in the night. Frogs are headed to their vernal breeding grounds and searching for mates. Their method? Overwhelmingly to call out loud for a female.

Believe it or not, we can learn a lot about the health of our habitats by listening for these noisy amphibians. By identifying species and estimating abundance, we know more about the diversity that exists in an area and the availability of clean freshwater. If a change in diversity or abundance is noted over time, so may the assessment of the habitat.

Irvine Nature Center will be hosting two opportunities to come out, learn your local frog calls, and learn to record data as part of citizen science projects. Check them out!

Find the Frogs Campfire

Head out to our campsite for a campfire and be serenaded by thousands of frogs! We’ll go on a short hike out to a better listening spot and learn how to tell which frog is which by sound. Then, back to the campfire to warm up and roast s’mores! Be sure to wear boots that will keep your feet dry and dress for the weather. Remember, frogs like the rain,

All ages (6 and up recommended)

Friday, March 20^th, 6:45-8:15 p.m.

$10 for members; $20 for non-members

Price per family of 4

FrogWatch Frenzy

A chorus of frogs ushers in April showers! Join a naturalist for a dusk hike to our wetland to learn about some of our native amphibians. We will look for tadpoles, adult amphibians, and record frog call data for FrogWatch USA—a citizen science program. Bring a flashlight and prepare to get your feet wet!

All ages (6 and up recommended)

Saturday, April 18^th

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

$5 for members; $10 for non-members

With your help, Irvine will be able to create some baseline data for our wetlands.  As we restore wetland habitat and do what we can to improve the health of our watershed, we hope to see our amphibian population thrive!