How do road salts impact Chesapeake critters?

A wood frog visits a vernal pool in Chesapeake Beach, Md., on March 10, 2019. Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that attract a range of amphibians, which use the fish-free environment to spawn and reproduce. Amphibians that breed early in the year, like the wood frog are particularly vulnerable to contamination from road salts.

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A wood frog sticks it head above the surface of the water. It can be identified by the characteristic black marking on its face that resembles a robber’s mask and white upper lip. The frog is surrounded by water.

These spooky spiders are master engineers

A female yellow garden spider stands over prey wrapped in in silk in her web. (Photo courtesy of Rik Brittain/iNaturalist CC BY-NC)

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A female yellow garden spider with black and yellow legs and a grey, brown and yellow abdomen stands in her web against a green background of plants. The spider stands over an insect that has been trapped in her web and wrapped in silk.