Frog Sex, Tree Soap, and Other Signs of Spring

It’s that time again, when scientists everywhere hold their breath as we open our listener mailbag. It’s spring in the northern hemisphere, so the theme of the questions in this episode is “growth” — with the exception of the last question, which is… kind of the opposite.

Question 1: Um, what are those frogs doing? (go to our website to see the picture)

Question 2: What’s that white foam that forms on trees when it rains?

Question 3: Does moss get damaged when you walk on it?

Question 4: What’s the best filling for raised beds in the garden?

Question 5: How long does it take for a dead squirrel to decompose?

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Thanks for the excellent questions, Louise, Mihaela, Tricia, Kevin, and Nicolas! Do you have a question about the natural world? Submit it to the Outside/Inbox! Send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). Don’t forget to leave a number so we can call you back.

Featuring: Nat Cleavitt, Rebecca Roy, Yolanda Burrell, and Sibyl Bucheli

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LINKS

Check out one of many salacious articles about frog sex, or read the somewhat less sensational study about underwater breeding chambers. 

And here’s one more study about frog sex; specifically simultaneous polyandry. 

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported and produced by: Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt

Mixed by Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, and Felix Poon 

Editing by Taylor Quimby, with help from Rebecca Lavoie and Justine Paradis 

Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer

Music for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

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