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Misty Mountains
At first it didn't look like it would be the best day to be out finding herps. 
| Neat Newt But then I saw this California Newt - the first of 88 seen in a half mile walk. Click here to see another pic 
Sign of Spring
| Some of the newts, like this one, were carrying eggs and getting ready to lay them. 
Triple Play
| Three newts meet on the way to their breeding grounds. 
Yellowbelly
| California Newts have yellow bellies to advertise the fact that they are poisonous - people have died from consuming them. Click here to see another pic of this newt 
Crossing Paths
| This waterfall went right across the trail that I was walking on. 
Orange Alert
| A few Ensatinas were also seen out enjoying the rainy weather. Click here to see another pic 
Salamander Street
| This is the path I was hiking on when I saw the amphibian migration. 
Woodland Waterway
| The path led to this small lake. 
Not Native
| Bullfrogs have invaded many areas of California, outcompeting with native frogs. 
It's a Trap!
| The overflow for the lake was in this cement structure, which had a newt trapped inside of it. 
Help Me
| Apparently the amphibian could not scale the walls of the overflow structure, so I went in to save it. 
Blind
| After making my rescue, a closer observation of the newt revealed that it had no eyes. It seemed to be healthy otherwise, so I released it into the nearby woods. 
Dark Lizard
| Because it was so cold out, the fence lizards in the area were almost black, to absorb more heat. Click here to see another pic 
Giant Gastropod
| Banana Slugs (shown with penny for size reference) seem to like bad weather. 
I Bite!
| Some careful searching revealed several Southern Alligator Lizards. 
Mountain View
| Eventually the weather cleared up a bit. 
Chorus O' Frogs
| Later that night Pacific Chorus Frogs were out calling in full force. Click here to see another pic Click here to hear what the frogs sounded like |
