Longing for signs of spring? Curious to know what the calling of frogs, or the wild flight of the woodcock is all about? Learn about the natural world at College of the Atlantic's George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History this spring during a series of Saturday and evening workshops.

These student-led programs begin Saturday, April 5 with A Wood Frog's Life from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Hard to believe, but wood frogs survive winter by letting nearly a half of their body turn to ice. Breathing comes to a stop, so does the blood flow. There is no heartbeat in the tiny amphibian body-possible because of special glucose and protein in the frog's body.

The program, geared to both young and old, uses illustrations from John Himmelman's children's book, A Wood Frog's Life, to understand the natural history of Rana sylvatica. You'll end the session with the creation of a wood frog caller you can take home, having learned how to entice the frogs into calling. Adults $3, children $2, museum members free.

The series continues with the following sessions:

• Saturday, April 12 from 1 to 3 p.m.: Treasures of Vernal Pools
  Vernal Pools are treasures of spring melting in a nearby wood. Learn about the astonishing lives of fairy shrimp, wood frogs and spotted and blue-spotted salamanders-and why vernal pools are essential to their lives. Adults $5, children and museum members $2.
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• Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m.: Woodcock Watch
  Learn about woodcock courtship behavior and their special adaptations for flight and food. Meet at Dorr Museum for a carpool to the golf course. $2; museum members free.
• Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Earth Day Festival
  Celebrate Earth at the state's largest Earth Day Festival on the College of the Atlantic campus; while there, head to the Dorr Museum to build a bluebird house. Free admission.
• Wednesday April 23 at 7 p.m.: Twilight Adventures (part of Turn off your TV week)
  It's that magical time of early spring when the woodcocks are performing their aerial displays while the forest floor comes alive with spotted salamanders making their way to vernal pools to dance and lay eggs. Join in the fun! Wear Boots and bring a flashlight. Free.
• Saturday, April 26 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.: Blossoms on the Bough
  Celebrate Arbor Day by getting up-close and personal with tree flowers. Examine the beauty of big trees' small flowers by viewing them through COA's dissecting microscopes. $5 adults, $2 children and museum members.
• Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to noon: Early Birds
  As bird migration hits a fevered pitch, welcome back some of Maine's most colorful nesters and review how to recognize them by sight and sound. Bring binoculars if possible. $5 adults, $2 children and museum members.
• Saturday, May 10 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.: Meres de la mer - Moms of the Sea
  A day before Mother's Day, learn about the great variety of maternal strategies in the sea, from free spawning sand dollars to egg brooding sea stars. Wear boots for low tide walking. $5 adults, $2 children and museum members.
• Saturday, May 17 from 9 to 11 a.m.: Warbler Watching
  Tiny colorful birds are winging their way north from the tropics. Learn about our neotropical migrant warblers and how to recognize them by sight and sound. $5 adults, $2 children and museum members.
• Saturday, May 24 from 1 to 2 p.m.: Wild Edible Plants
  Enjoy a leisurely stroll around the COA campus while nibbling, tasting and collecting some edible wild plants-then share a few wild recipes. $5 adults, $2 children and museum members.
• Friday, May 30 from 8 to 9:30 p.m.: Jewels of the Night: Giant Silkmoths
  Gather round the black light and discover secrets of luna, cecropia and polyphemus moths who are on the wing on spring nights. $5 adults, $2 children and museum members.