Why Leaving the Leaves Helps Early Spring Pollinators
As the weather warms and the sun lingers a little longer each day, it’s tempting to head outside, grab the rake, and start cleaning up the yard. After all, a tidy landscape feels like a fresh start. But before you clear away those leaf piles and garden debris, take a moment to consider who might still be resting underneath.​

​Did you know that some of our Northeastern Ohio frog friends appear to turn into frozen popsicles during the winter months? Yes, you read that right! Native Ohio tree frogs and one of our terrestrial frog species completely freeze their bodies during the harsh winter temperatures, with only their vital organs remaining unfrozen!  

As the air crisps and their little bodies begin to convert from frog flesh to frog popsicle, natural antifreeze works its way to vital organs for protection. Ice is formed in the extracellular spaces (outside the cells) while keeping ice from forming inside of the cells. These amphibian antifreeze agents are made up of cryoprotectants like glycerol, glucose, and urea that help hinder cellular and tissue damage caused by the ice. Tree and terrestrial frog freezers stay in this suspended animation of this freeze tolerance strategy where they experience reduced metabolism, helping to conserve energy during the cruel cold chill.
 
Temperatures begin to warm; the frog popsicle begins to slowly melt. While water drips back into the frog’s cells their metabolic processes slowly restart. The organs assume their normal duties, and finally when the frog’s heart beats again, it begins to magically move.  Sudden urges to stretch its long stiff legs and exercise its exhilarated and grateful voice rush throughout our frog friends. They are off to find a humbling new home and a heartwarming meal.
 
While you are out on your whimsical winter wanderings, pause for a second and think about our exquisite, ecologically essential Northeastern Ohio frogs that seem to be frozen in time. Create space in your mind to think about what creatures lie beneath the snow, waiting to “thaw” out when the weather warms up, and get excited about natures frog’s hop back to life – for love season is creeping around the corner!

!!CALL TO ACTION!! All readers- please share your frog sightings!
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 iNaturalist is a citizen science app that helps observers collect flora and fauna data that is used by our local parks =) 

Kendra Heiser is the Furnace Run Watershed Coordinator at SSWCD. 

​When winter cloaks the land in its frosty embrace, most of us are thinking of the holidays filled with delicious food, drinks and gracious gift giving, but have you stopped to think about what salamanders do during the winter months? Most of us imagine salamanders tucked away, snuggled under layers of leaf litter or soil, dreaming of springtime ponds.  But the truth about these elusive creatures is a bit more enchanting than you might expect. These tiny amphibians don’t just disappear—they embark on a season of quiet magic, hidden from human eyes.

A Salamander’s Winter Lair
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Picture this: Under the snow-dusted forest floor, a tiny Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) snoozes in its cozy burrow, curled like a comma in a sentence of compassion. It’s shiny black skin, adorned with bright yellow spots, is almost too glamorous for the subterranean world it calls home. Salamanders are master burrowers, spending their winters in underground hideaways, sometimes sharing their space with earthworms or the occasional mouse.
But these aren’t just ordinary holes in the ground; they’re salamander sanctuaries! The soil stays warmer than the icy air above, offering a perfect retreat from winter’s harshness. Beneath your boots on a snowy hike, these little critters are quietly living out their frosty fairy tale.

Photo: Vernal Pool Association
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Now, picture this: In the hush of winter, when the world above is frosted in silver and white, stream salamanders weave a slow-moving magic beneath their icy, watery homes. Common stream dwellers like the northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) and the northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata) rely on cutaneous respiration, breathing through their skin in a delicate exchange with the water around them. Adults may choose to burrow in the slippery stream banks while their larvae overwinter in deep pools that don’t freeze fully. Winter’s chill may slow their movements, but the colder water holds more dissolved oxygen, drawing life from the oxygen-rich current. 

slumber, brumation is more of a dreamy doze where salamanders tucked into leafy blankets and curled into secret chambers are suspended in stillness, waiting, half-awake, for the sun’s warm hand to nudge them back into the world of the vibrant rush of spring.
Why Care About Winter Salamanders?
It’s easy to overlook these pint-sized residents of Northeast Ohio’s forests and streams, but salamanders are vital to the ecosystem. They help control insect populations and serve as a key link in the food chain. Plus, their mysterious lives add a sprinkle of wonder to our winter worlds.
So, the next time you’re trudging through the snow on a gray February day, pause for a moment. Beneath your feet, a salamander might be dreaming of moonlit ponds, and the orchestra of spring peepers. Let’s raise an imaginary mug of hot cocoa to these magical, miniature creatures of winter. They remind us that even in the coldest, darkest months, life hums along in secret, spinning stories of resilience and wonder.
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Kendra Heiser is the Furnace Run Watershed Coordinator at SSWCD.