When the vernal pools come to life, the change is often breathtakingly sudden, dramatic, and, of course, loud. This afternoon, a raw and drizzly one, the amphibian inhabitants were mostly quiet. But with slightly warming temperatures at dusk and a little bit of persistent moisture still in the air, the Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers put aside all of their on-again, off-again frustrations at this roller-coaster of a March and burst into song and sallying forth for sex. They weren't alone. I wasn't there for amour, of course, but rather, as an observer of the annual mating ritual. No sooner did I step outside than I spotted the first of the amphibian tryst corps: a Peeper that had climbed the trim boards of the basement door... a great vantage point from which to search for potential mates. I put the new 85mm Nikkor micro to work and then headed down to "my" pond... well, the one I've monitored for three decades... and started documenting the manic activity as the amphibians hit the equivalent of the restart switch. Not only were there frogs aplenty, but the Spotted Salamanders also returned to their silent business, with at least five dozen of the handsome animals cruising the underwater world for, um, opportunities.