Spring is near, and the marbled salamanders are out and about, making their way to the wetlands to lay their eggs. The students of Woodlawn School are working in cooperation with the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve staff to collect data on the amphibians found at Cowan's Ford Nature Preserve. Fences and pitfall buckets have been put in place near the marsh. The amphibians follow the fence and drop into a bucket where they are identified, counted, and measured. On our first outing, the fifth graders collected 14 marbled salamanders, 2 mice, and a cricket.
On our second visit the fourth graders found only a single marbled salamander, but they got to see (and hold) a Fowler's toad, an upland chorus frog, and a spring peeper frog. We will be collecting data periodically throughout the spring, especially after a warm spring rain.
Spring is near, and the marbled salamanders are out and about, making their way to the wetlands to lay their eggs. The students of Woodlawn School are working in cooperation with the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve staff to collect data on the amphibians found at Cowan's Ford Nature Preserve. Fences and pitfall buckets have been put in place near the marsh. The amphibians follow the fence and drop into a bucket where they are identified, counted, and measured. On our first outing, the fifth graders collected 14 marbled salamanders, 2 mice, and a cricket.
On our second visit the fourth graders found only a single marbled salamander, but they got to see (and hold) a Fowler's toad, an upland chorus frog, and a spring peeper frog. We will be collecting data periodically throughout the spring, especially after a warm spring rain.