Outdoor Elements
Falling for Spring Peepers
Clip | 2m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
Join Evie as she explores the fascinating world of Spring Peepers, those tiny frogs that f
Join Evie as she explores the fascinating world of Spring Peepers, those tiny frogs that fill the air with their melodious chorus each spring and fall. Listen to their melody as we learn to identify them and understand their habitat in the fall.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana
Outdoor Elements
Falling for Spring Peepers
Clip | 2m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
Join Evie as she explores the fascinating world of Spring Peepers, those tiny frogs that fill the air with their melodious chorus each spring and fall. Listen to their melody as we learn to identify them and understand their habitat in the fall.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipAll around me, I can hear a steady, peeping sound.
It's the call of the Spring Peeper.
But it's fall.
Not spring.
Spring peepers are notorious for their resounding choruses in spring, in mating frenzies in vernal pools.
They spend most of the summer in the trees where they feed on insects.
They're great climbers because they have sticky pads on their toes.
However, in fall, you can hear it.
They continue to peep.
Nobody knows for sure why they do this, but most scientists think it has something to do with environmental conditions.
Today, it's kind of cool and damp.
There is certainly less sunlight than there is in summer, and the conditions are very similar to the mating season period of spring peeper frogs.
So perhaps they are just responding to the conditions.
Nobody knows for sure.
The Latin name, Pseudacris crucifer refers to that X on the back, crucifer meaning x Latin for a cross on their back.
And that's a great way to identify these frogs.
If you're lucky enough to see them very soon, they're going to crawl out of the treetops and find a spot under leaf litter, under logs to go into a state of torpor or a form of hibernation.
And actually, some of the spaces between their cells will actually freeze because they produce glucose to help them get through the winter.
And then in spring they'll emerge and find a vernal pool to start singing again.
Listen for spring peepers in fall on a hike in your neighborhood.
Remember, you can find your own outdoor elements when you visit area parks and natural areas.
We'll see you soon.
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Clip | 3m 48s | No description (3m 48s)
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Clip | 6m 49s | Experimenting with cyanotype fabric brings nature to life in beautiful, sun-printed design (6m 49s)
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Searching for Snakes: Researching Populations
Clip | 13m | Delve into the world of snake population research in northern Indiana and discover the met (13m)
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Clip | 12m 32s | Join Evie as she interviews Morgan Carr-Markell, Assistant Professor at Saint Mary's Colle (12m 32s)
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Clip | 5m 1s | Join Evie for an up-close encounter with a Red-tailed Hawk. (5m 1s)
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Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana