Philadelphia's Creatures Great and Small

When awful things happen and people wreak havoc upon others I often find it comforting to look at the world around me.  The stars in the sky are the same stars that people have been looking at for millennia, the trees will bud this year as they always do, and the cardinal who frequently visits my backyard is likely to return.

And so when catching up on the past few days issues of the Wall Street Journal I was so pleasantly surprised to read "Why do toads cross the road?  It's mating season in Philadelphia," by Peter Loftus (4/12).  It's about a group of volunteers who set up and staff the Roxborough Reservoir Toad Detour, protecting the lowly toad as it crosses two streets in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

Should you prefer grander wildlife, keep watch on the Franklin Institute hawks.  There are three eggs in the nest.  The hawk cam has a live feed of the nest (this will be more interesting when the eggs have hatched).  I check the Hawkwatch blog every few days to look at the pictures of these magnificent birds.

When we are all long gone the stars will still be in the sky, hawks will live in Philadelphia, the trees will bud in the spring, and most likely the cardinals will visit my backyard.