Jelly-like amphibian egg masses can set a scientist’s heart aflutter – they show that restoration projects are working at Metro's natural areas.
But Metro scientist Katy Weil got an extra-sweet surprise on Valentine’s Day, when she discovered a heart-shaped clump of northern red-legged frog eggs at Gotter Prairie. The pattern was so precise, no jeweler or chocolatier could have perfected it.
“It kind of makes me want to say, "Thanks, wetland wildlife. Viva la romance!" Weil said of her find.
As leader of Metro’s wildlife monitoring program, Weil spends much of February in the field with volunteers. Cold, clear water this time of year provides perfect viewing conditions as they hunt for evidence of native frogs and salamanders.
Weil’s team searches sites such as Gotter Prairie, a restored wetland near the Tualatin River. It was purchased by Metro’s voter-approved Natural Areas Program, which has protected 11,000 acres across the Portland metropolitan area. At many of these sites, restoration is under way to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.
You might assume that scientists are a cerebral bunch, unyielding in their quest for data. And they usually are. Weil, for example, follows a strict policy of letting nature take its course when she finds an egg mass stranded without water. If it’s meant to survive, it will.
The heart-shaped egg mass, however, wound up in deeper water a few yards away. How? Weil says that’s between her and the red-legged frogs.