One of my most memorable moments......finding and holding this fabulous salamander! I wish I had gotten a better macro picture but I rushed. I was worried it was uncomfortable being out of the dirt so I only snapped a couple quick shots. I'm sure it had stories to tell of the "monster" that grabbed it, washed it and made it lay on the moss for a minute. It's a wonderful world when finding a salamander can make you ecstatic :)
Tags: Ambystoma maculatum spotted salamander salamander amphibian catoctin furnace quad
© All Rights Reserved
We found hundreds of Spotted Salamander and some Wood Frog eggs today. Odonata457 saved quite a few of the Wood Frogs from a dried up area and put them in the large pond. Can you find the damselfly nymph in the picture? I missed it until I processed the picture :)
Tags: Ambystoma maculatum spotted salamander salamander amphibian catoctin furnace quad
© All Rights Reserved
A fabulous day in Frederick County with so many cool finds. The BEST was when I found this Spotted Salamander under a rotted stump. I have been looking forever and was thinking I would never find one. I took it to the pond for a quick bath and then a few pictures on the moss. I put it back under the stump and noticed a second in the soil. They both disappeared in a minute though. My "Spotted Salamander Curse" is now broken and I hope to find more!
Tags: spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum salamander amphibian catoctin furnace quad
© All Rights Reserved
The sunshine brought the frogs to life and the Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs were calling up a storm. Brings joy to my heart to hear them calling!
Tags: wood frog amphibian
© All Rights Reserved
It was a bit cold for these little Red-backed Salamanders to be wandering about. The rain certainly made the forest floor soggy...
"Red-backed salamanders feed on a large variety of invertebrates. These include mites, spiders, insects, centipedes, millipedes, beetles, snails, ants, earthworms, flies, and larvae. They forage by thrusting out their tongue in a quick, forward motion and capturing the prey. The physical environment determines food supply and foraging habits. During and shortly after rains is the optimal foraging time for P. cinereus. At these times the leaf litter on the forest floor as well as the forest vegetation is very moist. The salamanders wander throughout the leaf litter during the day and climb plants and trees at night to find prey, feeding on both ground-dwelling and arboreal invertebrates. As moisture decreases they are limited to the leaf litter, and as that subsequently dries up they eventually are restricted to areas under rocks or logs or in burrows that will continue to retain moisture. The decrease in moisture does not affect the availability of prey, but it limits the mobility of the salamanders due to their moisture requirements. Food levels are scarcer under logs or rocks and in burrows and the supply is easily exhaustible. Consequently, red-backed salamanders are pulse feeders that eat large amounts when conditions are favorable and store the extra nourishment as fat to live off of when conditions become poor." animaldiversity.org/
Tags: Daniel's patapsco valley state park Patapsco Plethodon cinereus Red-backed salamander amphibian salamander
© All Rights Reserved