Snakes and frogs in Minnesota

[Conan The Librarian]

Last week I was out on our local lake. Shore ice was still good and ice was plenty thick to walk on. Ice was honeycombed as it usually is at this time of year. I figured it would be a few weeks until ice out.
 
This week the ice was all gone. Completely open water on this 2400 acre lake.
 
Saw frogs and snakes while in the woods and marsh near the lake. I've never seen them out this early.
 
Quite a difference compared to last year, when winter ran from early October into May.
 
Friend just got back from Jamaica and the weather is in its summer pattern there, with the daily rains.
 

[DDZ]

I always have related the sound of spring peepers to the beginning of spring. Usually I don't hear them until the last week of March, but this year I first heard them around the 10th of March. Which is the earliest I ever remember hearing them. We have had a string of 70 degree plus days, and the rest of this week is supposed to be upper 70's. I can remember certain March's that did nothing but snowed and blowed the whole month. The normal high for this area, this time of year is 50 degrees.

[Empty Quiver]

We're getting some pretty heavy rain this way. Saw several frogs crossing the road, as I was coming home. I was pretty surprised to see them this soon.

[gypsyman]

Farmer never got into the soybean field behind my shop. Beans are still standing from last year.  There is a pretty good size mud hole, and this past weekend, the boys were out catching frogs in it. It's suppose to get into the mid to upper 70's around here in the next couple days, might even hit 80. Just hope the fruit tree's don't blossom out, and then we get a late season hard frost/snowstorm. Food is already expensive as it is, hate to see what it might go to. gypsyman