Labels: environment, Living Planet Index, nature, species loss, Yangtze river dolphin, Zoological Society of London

It’s spring so our first back-to-nature post will deal with a singularly spring phenomenon: vernal pools. These shallow pools form in ground depressions in forested areas or meadows in early spring and are a great way to observe life-cycles of smaller animals such as frogs and salamanders. Pools in the Midwest and East, often formed by snowmelt, typically have different characteristics than those in the West, but at any vernal pool you’re likely to see a variety of amphibians, from the spotted salamander (above) to the Western spadefoot toad. The best vernal pool shows come at night, when all the critters are active – and when you’ll get to hear these guys, a sound guaranteed to take you back to being a kid. The beauty of vernal pools is that they are often so small you can find them in relatively compact places. However, finding them is half the adventure – they’re tough to pinpoint, since those most familiar with the pools like to keep them pristine and often won’t give precise locations. But here’s some info to get you headed in the right direction:

New York City: Matthew Brown, Supervisor of the Soil and Water Lab at Central Park Conservancy, hints that the Azalea Pond area in the Central Park Ramble might be a good place to start. Outside Manhattan, Queens' Cunningham Park and Staten Island’s Long Pond Park Preserve promise vernal pools.

Boston: The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife says there are seven vernal pools in Boston. Many of the city’s Urban Wilds, such as the 90-acre Allandale Woods, would appear to be viable vernal pool locations, as would Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, just six miles from downtown, and Boston Nature Center in Mattapan.

Chicago: The guys at the Chicago Herpetological Society would sooner pass up a face-to-face encounter with a Fijian iguana than divulge vernal-pool locations. But they are chock full of species info and their members post some truly gorgeous photos. Also, the Chicago Wilderness Consortium offers plenty of facts about Chicago-area wildlife and indicates that vernal pools can be found at their Gompers Park Wetland.

So all you need now are your mudding boots, a flashlight, and a sense of adventure – a healthy sense of adventure that is – don’t wander around unsafe places at night and don’t trespass on private property. Report back with your findings!

Labels: nature, pools, salamanders, spring, vernal

A survey came out today that I found affirming because it taps into the same mindset that I had in starting this blog: There are a lot of people out there who would like to reconnect with nature but need a little push to do so. The survey commissioned by Scotts Miracle-Gro claims 61% of Americans say they understand the benefit of nature, but still don't spend enough time outdoors. I know this comes from a source with an agenda – the more time you spend outside the more likely you are to be shamed into doing something about your scraggly lawn – but I think it’s still getting to a truth. Hopefully this blog can help cut that 61% down a bit.

Labels: nature, outdoors, restorative, spring, survey

I imagine some of you are saying, “not another blog about the environment.” Well, yes, technically this is another blog about the environment, but hopefully it’ll be delivering something a bit different. There will be the standard stuff –environmental news and tips – tailored so the big-city worker can easily apply it to his/her life. But Green Among Gray’s main function is to move you to appreciate nature again, to be awed by it like you were as a kid. Why bother, you ask? First, the world appears to be heading for trouble, natural-resource-wise, and one way to stem that is to keep nature top-of-mind; second, we could all use a boost of energy, and a lot of restorative power can come from reconnecting with nature; and, finally, a more shallow reason: ‘Green’ is chic – you’ll have something to add the next time the dinner conversation turns to conservation.

Labels: city, environment, gray, green, nature