Monthly Archives: March 2012

Herping with Lance, Lauren, Luke and Logan

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The “4 Ls” caught word of spring and the annual amphibian migration. “We want to go on a salamander hunt,” they said.

“OK,” I replied. So off we went.


We soon found out that finding wild herps isn’t as easy as looking at pictures of them on the internet. We could hear the “clucking” of Wood Frogs and the chirps of Spring Peepers, but where were they? Logan thought that lifting logs was a good strategy.

Then we found that if we were quiet, still and patient, our quarry would soon reveal itself.

Hey, what’s inside this log?

Not everyone is stoked about finding their first Spotted Salamander.

But Lance is.

And so is Lauren – we found four in total.

A non-migrating Redback Salamander.

Salamanders are sweet, but we won’t be happy until we catch a frog.

Lauren taking the “Wood Frog Challenge,” those frogs simply did not want to get caught.

 It was a great way to spend the afternoon.


Third Eye Herp
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Tonight’s Amphibian Migration

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How do you know that spring has arrived? Some would say it’s when they see their first Red-winged Blackbird. Some would say that it’s when a particular flower starts to bloom. But that’s all nonsense. Spring is officially here when Spring Peepers start calling. But before they do that, they must wake up from hibernation and migrate to woodland pools, where they lay their eggs. In these parts, Wood Frogs, Spotted Salamanders and Jefferson’s Salamanders often join them.
It rained pretty heavily until early afternoon, but then it stopped. But it still turned out to be a very good night for seeing amphibians. Wood Frogs were everywhere. I’ve never seen so many in one night (we only stayed for an hour).

Here’s a female heavy with eggs. Unfortunately they didn’t close the road like they usually do, so there were quite a few casualties. We called a ranger and he stopped by shortly thereafter to close it.

Although the Wood Frogs were calling in full force, there weren’t many Spring Peepers calling yet. Only two were seen on the road.

Salamanders tend to start crossing a bit later at night, but eventually they made their presence known. Here’s the first of many Spotted Salamanders.
One with relatively few spots.

But the Wood Frogs kept coming too. Sometimes I’d be photographing one and two or three would hop right on by.
A few were orange and a few were pink.

A hybrid/intergrade salamander that no one can quite figure out.

This spotted was just chillin’ in a roadside puddle after making it across the street.

And this one successfully crossed the “finish line” too.

Hey, that’s a spotted salamander, but it’s not a Spotted Salamander. This newt was probably looking to cash in on some tasty amphibian eggs.

Gray is my favorite color, and this Jefferson’s Salamander certainly was a fine sight to see.

It was quite a night!

Third Eye Herp
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Turtle Mania!

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Today was one of those days when it seemed everyone was enjoying the outdoors.

And turtles were out in full force too – catching some rays. This Midland Painted Turtle was the first one that I saw.

In the same pond was a young Red-eared Slider hanging out with a juvenile Painted Turtle.

Afterwards I came across this four-turtle combo. The two in the middle are Red-eared Sliders.

The one on the left is an adult River Cooter the size of a football.

During the winter, most water turtles go deep into the mud and leaves at the bottom of waterways. Then they let themselves get cold. Their bodies slow down, so they don’t need to eat anymore. Their hearts slow down too, so that they beat only once every few minutes. They stop breathing through their lungs. Because their bodies are running at such a slow speed, they don’t need much oxygen, but they do need some. They can get the small amount of oxygen they need from the water; it is absorbed through specialized skin cells.

The one on the right is an old Red-ear. As they age, males often get darker and occasionally lose their red coloration. Many of the turtles were still coated with their “hibernation mud.” A double dose of dirty Sliders:

This Red-ear is showing off how the reptile received its common name.

It was an awesome day to be out and see nature gearing up for spring.

Third Eye Herp
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Water Strider

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Spring is just around the corner. It was 70 degrees and pleasant today. Many people were walking around, enjoying the weather. I decided to check out a vernal pool where frogs and salamanders will soon be migrating to. Since it is fishless, it’s a good place for the amphibians to lay their eggs. Although I didn’t see any frogs or salamanders, an insect skimming across the water caught my eye.

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Water Striders are able to skate on top of water due to a combination of several factors. They use the high surface tension of water and their long legs (which give them an even distribution of weight) to help them stay above water. New research reveals the Water Strider’s legs are covered with microscopic hairs that trap tiny air bubbles, allowing the insect to simply float.

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These insects live on the surface of ponds, slow streams, marshes, and other quiet waters. They have very good vision and move quickly on the water. The short front legs of a Water Strider are for grabbing prey (often mosquitoes, their larva and other small insects).

Water Striders can live for many months and adults can overwinter. They crawl inside plant stems and seek other forms of shelter when it gets cold. Other common names for Water Striders are: water bugs, magic bugs, pond skaters, skaters, skimmers, water scooters, water skaters, water skeeters, water skimmers, water skippers, water spiders and Jesus bugs.

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Cecropia Cocoon

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Cleveland sure has crazy weather. Yesterday it was 70 degrees. I was getting a serious case of “spring fever.” And today it was 40. And rainy. And overcast. I went out for a walk in the woods anyhow. Here’s what the trees looked like:

But then I came across this, a Cecropia cocoon. The Cecropia is North America’s largest moth with a wingspan approaching six inches. It is my favorite moth (though it is tied with the Luna Moth in that regard). The cocoon consists of three distinct layers – the first is a hard shell, the second is an air space filled with wisps of silk, and the inner layer is rough silk. It is thought that the air space creates insulation.

Cecropia moth cocoons are often over 3 inches long and this one is in that size category. I’ll keep this cocoon and post photos once the moth emerges (which probably won’t be until 3 or 4 months). If you like big moths, check out “A Polyphemus Moth Story.”

Third Eye Herp
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