Getting to know some
summertime critters
By Katharine Fletcher
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE pastimes is canoeing, especially paddling old ox-bows, swamps
and other quiet backwaters. They encourage
contemplative exploration and have easy-tosee creatures.
For instance, at Kenauk Nature, a parkland
north of Montebello, Que. Eric and I discovered a loon’s nest complete with dusky eggs,
and nearby the sapphire blue carcasses of an
insect you’ve likely seen called “familiar bluet”
damselflies. We concluded these jewel-like
creatures had been devoured by innocentlooking but lethal, carnivorous sundew plants
growing on partially submerged logs? Even in
death, the jewel-like damselflies vividly contrasted against the sundews’ scarlet and emerald-green backdrop.
The Ottawa Valley and the Outaouais are
home territories of many intriguing animals.
Some are confusingly similar species that coexist, like damselflies and dragonflies, toads and
frogs. Some are nature’s wonders at our doorstep – tadpoles which overwinter before metamorphosing into frogs, and fireflies, those
fairy-like flashes of light winking about on a
summer’s eve.
For curious observers in the National Capital
Region, nature is matched by a wealth of accessible knowledge. From field naturalist organizations (Arnprior’s Macnamara club and the
Ottawa Field Naturalists spring to mind)
through to botanists and biologists who offer
talks at Gatineau Park, the Canadian Museum
of Nature and other venues, our region is
home to specialists eager to share their lore.
I met one of them, ecological consultant
David Seburn, at a Friends of Gatineau Park
talk about the spring frog chorus. He specializes in amphibians and reptiles at risk, so he
was the expert to ask about frogs and toads,
particularly how to tell them apart.
“Toads generally are more terrestrial, but
many frogs wander away from wetlands, especially after rains,” he said. “We only have one
species of
American toad
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toad in our area, the American
toad, and it has a very warty body
compared with frogs. Toads also
don’t hop as well as frogs.”
Great, we’ve got toads figured
out. Distinguishing among frog
species though is challenging:
northern leopards and pickerel
frogs resemble one another, as do
bull and green frogs. And, just as Seburn suggests, we can find some frogs a fair distance
from open water. Best tip for ID purposes?
Browse websites such as naturewatch.ca with
its helpful photos, or the Canadian Herpetological Society at carcnet.ca.
Speaking of differences between frogs – and
between frogs and toads – it’s not only the
splotches on their skin or the size of their tympanum (eardrum) that distinguishes them. It’s
voices too: the western chorus frog sounds like
running a thumbnail along a comb; the leopard
frog makes a lower, growly sound reminiscent
to me of its namesake. Want to hear the calls?
Check out trentu.ca and search “frog calls.”
Other differences are in the eggs. Seburn
said, “All our local frogs and toads lay eggs in
the water. Toads’ eggs are laid in long strands;
frogs’ eggs are often in clumps, with larger
frogs laying more eggs, hence larger clumps.”
These amphibians emerge from egg as tadpoles, then metamorphose into adults – and if
frogs are challenging, those tadpoles are impossible for me.
Damselflies and dragonflies are a bit easier.
Seburn made it simple: “Dragonflies are larger
and more robust looking that damsels. In addition, dragons usually sit with their wings open,
while damsel perch with wings closed.” As always, there are exceptions, but that’s a start.
The familiar bluet damsel