To relieve stress and stay grounded, take a cue from amphibians | Opinion

As we learned during the pandemic, spending time outside is critical for physical, mental, and spiritual health. Between COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and skyrocketing prices for everything from gasoline to groceries, there’s a lot to worry about right now.

Since we have little control over how world events unfold, often the best thing we can do to relieve stress and stay grounded is to pay close attention to nature’s ever-changing spectacle. This opportunity only exists if we preserve wetlands and the land around them.

After a long winter, I know that spring has arrived when I hear the nighttime chorus of tiny woodland frogs known as northern spring peepers. Spring peepers are rarely seen because they’re camouflaged to look like tree bark, but when they emerge from hibernation to breed, they make themselves heard.

Peepers are named for the males’ mating call: a high-pitched whistling sound that repeats rapidly. The faster and louder the males peep, the better their chances of attracting a mate. Peepers often sing in trios, with the deepest-voiced frog starting the call. The sound can be otherworldly.

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Many amphibians breed in vernal pools, also known as intermittent or ephemeral ponds. The word vernal means “of, in, or appropriate to spring.” Vernal pools get their water from snowmelt, rain, and rising groundwater, and there are an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 vernal pools in New Jersey. The pools dry up each summer, so they don’t support populations of fish that would otherwise eat the amphibians’ eggs and larvae.

Seven New Jersey amphibians, including some that are threatened or endangered, are entirely reliant on vernal pools. The eastern tiger salamander, for example, is the largest salamander in New Jersey; adults can be over a foot long. There are only 15 known vernal pools that still support the species in New Jersey, and they’re all in Cape May. Land-use changes, pollution, and climate change threaten the habitat of these salamanders that spend the majority of their life cycles underground. Spotted salamanders are easier to find; look out for the gelatinous masses of their olive-colored eggs at the water’s edge.

During the colder months, amphibians hibernate underground below the frost line where the soil is moist and doesn’t freeze. Each spring many species migrate to vernal pools in order to breed, following scent trails laid down by previous generations.

This is no easy feat; roadways often separate forests from breeding pools. Salamanders, frogs, and toads face daunting odds against traffic. Amphibians migrate on rainy nights in early spring when the temperature is above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, a corps of volunteer “crossing guards” mobilize each year at some of the busiest crossings.

“Getting outside and paying close attention to the changing seasons can allow us to reset and more fully show up in other aspects of our lives.”

Vernal pools are also important habitat for wading birds, turtles, snakes, and mammals, as well as rare invertebrates like fairy shrimp — inch-long crustaceans with 11 pairs of legs that they use to swim upside down — and plants like purple bladderwort, which have bladders with trap doors on their roots that can ingest water fleas as food. New Jersey’s vernal pools are also home to wood turtles and spotted turtles, which can live for up to 50 years in the wild.

Because spring peepers are abundant and not reliant on vernal pools, they can breed almost anywhere there’s water — even roadside ditches if they are free of pollution. This time of year, you’re likely to hear spring peepers just by driving through the suburbs or past wetlands and streams.

Many local parks also contain vernal pools, although they may not be marked on trail maps. You might have to wander around at dusk and discover them for yourself, which is half the fun. Marshy areas in Wissahickon Valley Park are a great place to listen for peepers, and Cooper River Park in Camden County is home to plenty of turtles.

Spring is a season of rebirth. Getting outside and paying close attention to the changing seasons can allow us to reset and more fully show up in other aspects of our lives. And just as the world outdoors takes care of us, we can return the favor by being mindful of our individual actions, supporting local preservation organizations, and sharing the outdoors with the people we love. Nature has a way of seeping into our souls, if we just get out in it.

Jay Watson is the co-executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. info@njconservation.org