Twelve Months of Northern Ohio Herps in 2024 (Part 4)

A Dusky Salamander that I found on August 14th. This species is well named, for it is rather drab in color.

On August 14th I also found my first-ever Wayne County Northern Red Salamander. These stout-bodied salamanders range from a purple-brown to a bright, crimson red with irregularly shaped, dark spots along their backs. Younger individuals tend to exhibit brighter colors, while adults darken with age.

Although it's not a herp, this Northern Hog Sucker was an excellent find for me - they require streams with clean gravels and cobbles where they feed on the aquatic insect larva which live there.

A Longtail Salamander that I found in the creek where I caught the Hog Sucker on August 17th.

Triple Queen Snake goodness. The habitat requirements for Queen Snakes are very specific, and this snake is never found in areas that lack clean running streams and watersheds with stony and rocky bottoms.

A Creekside Dusky Salamander. This amphibian is most often found in wooded or partially wooded moist habitats with running or trickling sources of water.

A Midland Painted Turtle that I caught in August 18th. This species is colorful and common.

A well patterned young Northern Water Snake that I also found on August 18th.

I found this American Toad in my backyard on August 25th. Adult toads are mostly nocturnal, although juveniles are often abroad by day.

A Midland Painted Turtle in Cuyahoga Valley National Park on August 29th. These reptiles seek especially quiet waters, usually shores and coves. They favor shallows that contain dense vegetation and have an unusual toleration of pollution.

My fist September snake was this Eastern Garter Snake.

A bright green American Bullfrog crossing the road the night of September 6th.

Although these frogs are often found in aquatic environments, their toes are unwebbed. Pickerel Frogs are most often seen along the edges of streams or flooded ditches, but they can also be found in caves and sometimes along roadsides.

There are several subspecies of Eastern Newt. The Red-spotted Newt resides here in Ohio.

A more-orange-than-usual Spring Peeper.

I caught this Northern Water Snake on September 12th. An individual of this species may look different in water than on land. As its scales dry, the colors appear more uniform and it can be harder to see the snake’s bands of color.

Two common September salamanders - the first being a Redback Salamander on September 13th.

And the second being a Northern Two-lined Salamander, also found on September 13th.