Twelve Months of Northern Ohio Herping Highlights 2023 (Part 2)

April showers brought out additional amphibians - like this American Toad.

The Four-toed Salamander is easily identified by three characteristics: four toes on each hindfoot (unique among Ohio’s terrestrial salamanders), distinct constriction band around base of tail, and ivory white belly with irregular black speckling.

The call of male Pickerel Frogs is a low-pitched, descending snore lasting a couple of seconds. Although this frog usually calls from above water like most other frogs and toads, it may also call while under water.

Variable in color and often matching the forest floor where they reside, Wood Frogs can sometimes be rather beautiful, despite their earthtone-based coloration.

A Blanding's Turtle on April 4th. These reptiles have life history characteristics that are comparable to sea turtles and tortoises. They can live to 70 years of age and tend to reach sexual maturity at more than 20 years of age. Adults often must reproduce for their entire lives for just one or two of their hatchlings to survive to adulthood.

I also found a couple of Eastern Garter Snakes in Portage County on April 4th.

Although common, the variabity of these snakes makes them fun to find. This one has bits of orange markings while the example in the previous photo lacks a dorsal stripe.

A Dusky Salamander on April 6th in Medina County. This species' optimal habitat is in undisturbed watersheds where water is running or trickling and there is an abundance of forest cover.

A Northern Two-lined Salamander found at the same spot on the same day as the Dusky Salamander.

The herp habitat that the two salamanders were found in on April 6th.

A Smallmouth Salamander found in Wyandot County on April 8th.

An Eastern Garter Snake "breeding ball" on April 9th in Ottawa County. The female (head in center of photo) emerging from a hole in the ground and was being mobbed by males, eager to breed.

A melanistic Eastern Garter Snake found in the same area as the previous garters. Northwest Ohio has a population of all-black Eastern Garter Snakes.

I caught my first Northern Water Snake of the year in Lucas County on April 9th.

On April 13th I found my first DeKay's Brown Snake of the year.

April 14th was a good day to do some turtle watching in Cuyahoga Valley National Park - a Midland Painted Turtle, melanistic Red-eared Slider and Northern Red Bellied Cooter.

A Canada Goose sitting on her nest next to a basking Common Snapping Turtle.

A non-native Cooter.

A few Common Snapping Turtles were basking that day, here's one of them.

Midland Painted Turtles are the most often-seen turtles in my home state.

Red-ear Slider.

A non-native Yellowbelly Slider.

A hefty American Bullfrog in Cuyahoga Valley National Park on May 12th.

This Common Snapping Turtle was also seen on the same day.