Muddy Paws Marsh hosts sixth annual Frog Festival

SPRING MILLS — On June 11, Muddy Paws Marsh near Spring Mills hosted the sixth annual Frog Festival, sponsored by the Penns Valley Conservation Association and Penn State Master Gardeners.

The marsh is owned by Greg and Mary Kay Williams, who also own and operate the Cooke Tavern Bed and Breakfast and the Cooke Tavern Soups Company, adjacent to the marsh along state Route 45. Decades ago, the marsh area had drains installed, and was used as a pasture area. When the Williamses bought the property, they had the drains removed, returning the marsh to its natural state and opened it to the public.

The Frog Festival attracted a large crowd of visitors who walked between several learning stations around the marsh learning about different facets of the marshland ecology. Special guest for the event was Dr. Jim Julian, a biology instructor at the Altoona campus of Penn State. He has collaborated on amphibian research with the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service at the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Julian presented tadpoles taken from the marsh, representing several of Pennsylvania’s frog species, and described their life cycles, breeding habits and other facets of amphibian life. He mentioned that amphibians’ skin serves an important function in their lives. “All amphibians can actually get oxygen into their bloodstreams through their skin,” said Julian. “They need to have very moist, very thin skin, and that’s why frogs and salamanders are real sensitive to different types of poisons and toxins in the environment.”

Julian noted that each species of frogs have their own distinct calls, which are used for mating and as alarms when predators approach. He played recorded sounds of various frogs for the visitors. He also said that different frog species take different amounts of time, ranging from a few months for spring peepers to three years for bullfrogs, to complete their metamorphoses.

Julian said that some frog species breed in seasonal wetlands, which dry out in mid-summer, while other species prefer the permanent wetland environment. “The smaller species like wetlands that dry out late in summer because it eliminates species of fish that are really effective predators that eat these young frogs.”

Muddy Paws Marsh contains both seasonal and permanent wetland areas. “When you have a diversity of wetland types, you have a diversity of plant and animal species also,” said Julian.

On a grassy area of the marsh were displays from various conservation and nature-oriented groups. Helen Karp showed several species of rabbits, including a large black French lop. Karp said rabbits of this species must weigh at least 16 pounds to compete in shows, and weights of 17 to 20 pounds are typical.

Abby Hileman, representing the Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, displayed several turtles and a small snake, and explained to visitors how to recognize venomous snakes by their triangular-shaped heads and the vertical slit pupils in their eyes.