THE JOYS OF SPRING
By Ken Zeedyk
Ahhhhhh….
Nothing beats a warm spring day in West Michigan. The frogs are singing, the wildflowers are blooming and the mosquitoes and lawnmowers aren’t out in force yet. The Black River is warming up, plants are starting to produce new growth in the nearby pond, and the first tadpoles of the year are visible, just waiting to be caught by a gentle swipe of my daughter Kamryn’s net. Time to break out the spare tank I always keep set aside for these temporary spring time visitors.
This spring we managed to capture a number of different tadpoles, not just the regular black toad pollywogs. Based on the frog’s distinctive vocalizations and the descriptions provided in James Harding’s book, “Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region”, I came to the conclusion they were Western Chorus frogs; Pseudacris t. triseriata. I was quite happy to have found this species, since the only other small frogs I had previously found were spring peepers. Of course we also caught a few of the toad tadpoles. We couldn’t keep them from swimming into the net. Wish my African Cichlids were that easy to catch. We also caught a number of larger pollywogs, and since this pond has dried up the last two summers, I think they were baby Leopard frogs. There’s a good population of Rana pipiens around this pond, and on warm rainy nights they can be found on the road nearby. We’ve successfully kept tadpoles until they have completed their metamorphosis into froglets, and they can be raised on a variety of flake and pelleted food. Don’t heat the tank, and provide light filtration and frequent water changes. I found it best to use water from one of my larger tanks. That way there is less chance of any harmful chemicals in the water. After they change into small frogs, I release them because of the difficulty in fulfilling their food requirements.
Unfortunately there are no fish in this pond, just the critters that can survive a dry spell, or ones mobile enough to migrate across the street to the permanent pond. We need to visit the river to satisfy our urge to find fish, and this year we actually caught a native killifish; Fundulus diaphanus menona, the Western Banded Killifish. This is a neat little fish, which we found swimming alone over a gravel bar. I am currently housing the killi in a 10 gallon tank, and it’s starting to develop more of the vertical stripes on its sides. We also caught a couple Johnny Darters and bluntnose minnows, along with a couple accidentally caught young Round Gobies. The Round Gobies, Neogobius melanostomus, were introduced into the Great Lakes region in the ballast water of ocean going ships and directly compete for territory and space with our native sculpins and darters. Because of their invasive and disruptive nature I believe it is illegal to posses or transport them.
Kamryn and I also visited one of my childhood haunts. It is a creek that runs on the east side of the dunes along Lake Michigan and drains into Lake Macatawa. It is surprisingly clear and cool, with a sand bottom, and holds some neat fish around the structure found mid stream and along the banks. We caught some beautiful rusty striped daces, which could have been the Western Blacknose dace, Rhinichthys obtusus. I also spotted a rather large fish that looked a lot like a trout, and another one scooting along the bottom, like a large darter or sculpin. Unfortunately I could not flush either fish from their hiding places under large rocks. After looking at the daces and their cool spring time colors, we released them back into the creek.
I always enjoy springtime, and this year we found out about a killifish I previously didn’t even know existed in Michigan. I am very happy I purchased the book titled “Fishes of the Great Lakes Region”, originally written by Carl F. Hubbs and Karl F. Lagler and revised by Gerald R. Smith. It provides detailed species descriptions, drawings of fry, and distribution maps and color plates. I like this book better than the usual field guides that are available and highly recommend it, along with the previously mentioned Reptile and Amphibian book. I believe they are both University of Michigan Press books, and I found them at Barnes and Noble.
Before exploring in the spring, please remember to check local DNR regulations and be sure to purchase a fishing license.
Ken Zeedyk