Live Long, and Prosper: Tales of a Water Carrier

A fine spring day was on tap, and my husband and I packed up our daysacks and hiking boots and chairs, and headed for Moshannon State Forest. We stopped along the way to nab a very nice hoagie at Hall's, which we split and ate later on the mountain.

We walked down to a bridge and stream we know, and sat in our chairs on the other side of the creek. We put on some tunes and talked, as the clouds came and went, and we moved our chairs into and out of the sun, as its angle shifted. It was perfect weather for a long-sleeved shirt and a vest and hiking pants.

On our way back up and out, we nearly stumbled upon these amphibian eggs in a nearby field. There is usually a puddle here, but it's been dry this spring. There was no water at all for them. No, this is not right. This cannot be.

This is what the situation looked like when we encountered it, with an assortment of gelatinous masses in a dry field. My husband suggested we move them into the creek, but I didn't think that location would be good for them. Such eggs don't belong lying in a fast-running, cold-water stream, but rather, basking in a sunny field in a puddle.

I had an empty water bottle with me, so we took turns carrying water from the nearby stream, up the hill, and to the egg masses. We poured the water around them, not directly onto them.

By the time we were done, there was a little puddle around the eggs. Not much, but it was the best help we could provide at the time. I wished the amphibs good luck, as we took our leave of them:

Live long, and prosper!

My soundtrack song is this one: Melissa Etheridge, with Bring Me Some Water.

Update: It is raining on the day after, as I type this story. Not just a little drizzle, but a good, long, soaking rain. It has been raining all day and I am certain that the little puddle around the eggs is full up again. <3