April showers may bring May flowers, but March showers bring baby salamanders. Most Michigan salamander species hang out in damp forests. Their permeable skin must stay moist so they usually occupy old burrows made by other small animals under logs or rocks. In the fall they deepen these burrows for their winter hibernation.

Wood ducks are a common breeder and year-round resident in southwest Michigan, but sneaking up on one is an almost impossible task. They are very sensitive to sound and will flee the area with the slightest snap of a twig or sound of a voice, usually sounding a long trilling call on their way out.

The month of March is spring’s herald. More importantly, it’s sugaring time! The combination of cold nights and warmer days creates pressure within the maple tree’s sapwood. Any breach of the sapwood (natural or manmade) provides an outlet for the “squished” sap, which we collect and cook into syrup.