"The days lengthen and the earth warms. Snow melts. The ground becomes saturated and changes with each step we take. The solid surfaces of ponds and streams become fluid. The season of activity for amphibians and reptiles is beginning. While skim-ice is still forming at night, spotted frogs congregate, calling for a mate and laying eggs. Often, before all the snow has melted, long-toed salamanders migrate to their breeding pools. Garter snakes emerge from their hibernating dens, mate, and begin to disperse over the Refuge to their foraging grounds. A lone painted turtle climbs onto a half submerged log to soak up the early spring sun. Its olive-colored carapace grayed with mud from its six month sleep buried in the pond bottom" (Refuge Amphibian and Reptile brochure).
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