Listen! Do you hear the frog chorus? The Spring Peepers continue to herald the arrival of spring. Their lively trill is always music to my ears after the colder winter months, and it's something I look forward to every year. Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) are small, nocturnal 'chorus' frogs that live in the eastern United States and Canada. Obviously, they are called Spring Peepers because they begin peeping, singing, and chirping when the weather becomes warmer. In fact, they are usually the first frogs in each region to 'call in' the spring as temperatures rise. They might even be considered the seasonal amphibian equivalent to robins! Although Spring Peepers are found all over the U
Did you know that the U.S. Army once had an experimental 'Camel Corps' right here in America? And one of the key players in pushing the idea forward to reality was none other than the future Confederate president, Jefferson Davis. At the time of the implementation of the Camel Corps experiment (1855) however, Davis held the office of U.S. Secretary of War, under President Franklin Pierce. Davis worked tirelessly to convince both the president and Senate to agree to the project and purchase camels from overseas for American military use. According to the U.S. Army history website: "On 3 March 1855, Congress agreed and passed the Shield amendment to the appropriation bill, resolving: “And be
