Natalie Albrecht is a Spring 2020 graduate of the Rubenstein School and is an Environmental Studies minor. Her art project for Field Herpetology consisted of 4 watercolor and pen drawings of some of her favorite “nighttime chorus” species, including a spring peeper, wood frog, American toad, and a green frog.

Natalie writes,

“Some of my earliest and most cherished memories are of lying in bed at night with my windows open, fresh warm air coming through my window screens, and the hum of the nighttime chorus filling the room.”

“During the day, I played in the woods searching for critters and treasures and always came home when dusk began to settle and the chorus began.”

“Spring peepers, wood frogs, American toads, and green frogs were the calls I could identify first.”

“The American toad’s long musical trill; the spring peeper’s like the jingling of sleigh bells; the wood frog’s soft, duck-like cackling; the green frog like an un-tuned banjo string.”

“The meaning of this chorus has changed for me throughout my life. When I was young, it was bell to go home and my what put me to sleep at night. When I moved to Vermont, it became my promise that warm weather was finally coming. And when I went far away, it’s what I’d listen to when I was missing home late at night.”

Hoping this resonates with others who may be far from home, or just craving the familiarity or simpler times of childhood. If you keep your ears open, the sounds might just give you what you need.