Categories
amphibians

Meet Isaac “Figgy” Newton

April showers bring the juvenile stage of small semi-aquatic salamanders!

I went out this morning to plant some trees, and encountered this vibrant little gummy worm basking in the rain. It’s a red eft, the teenager form of an Eastern Newt. They wander around on land sporting this splashy spotted look for a couple of years, before slipping into a pond and taking their final olive-green form.

I sat in the rain and watched it for awhile. They move like a mix between tired rock climbers and those wooden ducks you push around with slappy leather feet. And for a delightful split second, I saw its wee little tongue! It appeared to be licking a raindrop off the stem of a leaf. Which, btw, broke my brain. Or at least its cuteness gauge. Some beautiful things happen on bright sunny days, but some of them wait for the rains.

Hope you’re keeping a nice mix of warm and dry and enjoying the delights of a good puddle, getting muddy, and unexpected spring encounters!

Have a great week folks!

~Kate

Categories
amphibians birbs

The Night Shift

Owls and salamanders 🦎🦉🍂
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🕯️🍂: A little before midnight last night, I went for a short candlelit walk. There’s always a lot to do this time of year, before the cold and icy thrall of winter. But right now we’re perched on that point between light and dark and warm and cool, and I try to make moments to go notice it.

🦎🚪: When I got back to our front door, I found a little friend sat on the door mat. A blue-spotted salamander. As perfect as it could be. A nocturnal critter that enjoys the damp and dark, its hunt was just starting up as we wound down for rest.

👶🐈❓: When I crouched down to look at this blue beauty, I noticed a call repeating in the night air. A bit like a child, a bit like a cat — a Great Horned Owl. In the autumn, their calls become more prominent and frequent. Now is the owls’ time to court and set territories, before they make their winter babies.

🌜: Life doesn’t end at nightfall or pause for the cold or wet. The lead roles are taken over by a new cast, but the story — the story never stops.
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Have a great day slash night slash day folks! 💙
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👣📝: I am only holding the salamander to move it away from the front door where we come and go and come and go — aka a High Squish Zone. I popped them into a nearby pile of logs and we both went on our way. 👍

~Kate