Salamanders

We went to a salamander program for kids at the metropark today. Danielle and I went to this same metropark last weekend to look for salamanders but didn't have any luck. We looked in the exact spot we were at today. Salamanders are nocturnal and spend their days in underground tunnels, so I suppose that's why we didn't have any luck. Here, at this time of year, the salamanders come out at night and head to the vernal pools to mate and lay eggs. This only happens for a very short time period (a couple weeks at most). It takes about a month for the eggs to hatch, then the babies live & develop in the water until their external gills are absorbed and they can leave the vernal pools. It's really all very interesting, at least to me and Danielle.

All four of us went today. It is a very popular program and there were a lot of kids. We attended this program a couple years ago, but we didn't see any salamanders. This time the traps were full! Tyler and Danielle waited patiently while the younger kids swarmed the tubs, pushing everyone else out of the way. Eventually we found a gap and got to observe the salamanders. I guess there are 3 types of salamanders primarily found at this spot - spotted salamanders, jefferson salamanders, and small-mouthed salamanders. We saw the first two. After observing the salamanders for awhile, they were released back into the vernal pool and the program continued on to another vernal pool.

The other vernal pool was much larger, so the kids were permitted to search along the perimeter. The catch was that it was extremely muddy and the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees from the time we left the house! Tyler was tired of the pushy little kids, so he and Ron went back to the car. Danielle and I headed back to the other vernal pool but didn't stay long. She was shivering from having her hands in the cold water, so we decided to call it a day but resolved to come back by ourselves when it gets a little warmer. Even if we can't find a salamander, we'd still like to find a wood frog or spring peeper. We've never found either of those on any of our outings.

I knew we'd get wet and muddy today, so I took my small, waterproof camera. When just Danielle and I go back, I hope to get some better pictures of the pool and hopefully of a salamander or two!