A very tiny visitor

Dear Diary,

I haven't seen a tree frog in years and years.  They are such tiny and elusive little creatures barely an inch long but oh what a voice the males have!  Their "peeps" can be heard a half mile away.  We call them Spring Peepers and we always eagerly await their first call each spring and because of global warming it has been coming earlier and earlier; on average, 11 days earlier in the last 60 years.

I was so delighted to see this little one sitting on a rock in the garden and he let me approach close enough to get a photograph.  Luckily, they are not endangered in any way here in Maine as other amphibians are so I hope we can continue to hear their "peeps" for decades to come.

I remember my grandfather saying that if the Peepers get very loud and their "peeps" increase it is a sign of rain to come.  Folklore but there is some indication that increased peeping attracts females and they need water to lay their eggs so maybe there is some correlation.  This kind of earth wisdom was common a hundred years ago when people lived more closely in-tuned with nature.  I fear most have lost this connection, mores the pity.