We went to breakfast this morning with some family, but while driving there, Jeffrey and I passed a flooded field teeming with calling Western chorus frogs (Pseudacris triseriata). That was a sound I've been dying to hear for a long time. He expressed an interest in checking out the vernal ponds after breakfast, and he did not have to ask, since I too wanted to check out the ponds. The only issue was that I did not have my camera handy - nor was I wearing proper attire, since I hadn't planned for the outing. It turns out that didn't stop us from making our way toward the calling frogs once we finished our pancakes and French toast.
We ended up finding a number of vernal pools in the vicinity of the first pool we noticed while driving. We did a little hiking around, but the area was very wet, and I tried to avoid ruining my good shoes. We never actually saw any chorus frogs, but they were there - calling within several yards of where we were standing. Most frogs will stop calling when they sense danger nearby, and will resume calling once the coast is clear. I led Jeffrey across a huge fallen log to the center of one of the wooded vernal pools in order to get a better sense of where the frogs were. The pond became silent. We stood still for a few minutes, and then one by one the frogs began calling again, but this time with a hint of suspicion in their tones (don't ask, it's just something I've noticed over the years). Still, we couldn't see any. Those frogs are like tiny ventriloquists. You think you're getting closer to one until you realize it's coming from the other direction. It was still good to know they were active.
Since the weather was very fair (and had been the last few days) - almost 70 degrees to be exact, and overcast - we got back in the car and headed around the corner to one of my garter snake spots. I figured these conditions would bring out the snakes - they did. We walked the small opening in the woods and encountered a number of basking Chicago garter snakes and one redbelly snake. The snakes were easy to spot, and most were coiled and resting right at the surface. After a few captures, I came across a fairly large female being pursued by a male. At that point, I was particularly disappointed that I didn't have my camera. My iPhone takes decent photos close-up and mid-range, but capturing a decent-quality photo of two snakes from about 4 or 5 feet away proved to be futile. Zeroing in one the pair only spooked the male, and he was off. After about an hour at the glade, Jeffrey, who really likes the newts (as do I) asked if we could go back to the newt swamp, which was a short hike from where we were. This is THE newt swamp, infamous for its ground hornets' nests but also famous for its stunning beauty and tranquility. It is where I was last weekend (see Newtapalooza) and saw bald eagles. So we trekked to the swamp, only to find that all the areas I found newts in before did not have newts. I surmised that they had all moved to the swamp to breed or to complete their transformation to aquatic adults. The only herp I saw at the swamp itself was a small bullfrog, and I didn't even notice it until it plopped into the water near the edge. Very soon, the swamp will literally be jumping with frogs.
As we hiked back, we stopped every often to inspect deadwood for newts, to no avail. We were very close to my car - I could see it from where we were - when I noticed a nice looking half-log off the path. Jeffrey and I got to it, and when I lifted it, imagine my surprise when I found a nice fat little tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). Jeffrey was delighted too! I have been scouting this area for years and had all but given up on finding any Ambystoma. It seemed that the newts had taken over and that perhaps the conditions weren't favorable for the tigers. Well, it seems they are there and just remained elusive until today. Interestingly enough, we ended up finding one more as we were leaving, hiding underneath a discarded chunk of asphalt on the side of the access road, of all places.
How can we conclude this adventure without finding any newts? This is the newt swamp, by the way. Answer? We don't! One little patch of deadwood about fifty meters from my car housed a whole bunch of central newt efts. These were among the smallest efts I'd seen here. One log gave up six efts, but we felt there were even more because there were many subterranean chambers under and around the log that we didn't want to poke and prod in. The surrounding logs and some of the bark produced even more newts. I don't remember how many there were and I'm not sure we were keeping count, but let's just say that as of now, the newts are doing fine there.
Here are a few images of today's bounty. Sorry for the poor quality.
A crayfish found early in the hunt. It was hiding near the entrance to its burrow under a log.
The first snake of 2014, and the first of several Chicago garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis semifasciatus) to be found today. In situ.
One other garter, in situ.
These are some of my favorite snakes (though the same could be said about any species).
Here we see a male in hot pursuit of a female. These snakes often look for mates and breed very soon after emerging from their dens in the early spring. It is as high a priority as finding food (and oftentimes higher). Sometimes, during actual copulation, these snakes cannot easily be distracted by potential predators, or people. The male, however, wanted nothing to do with this female once I approached a little too closely.
A beautiful redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) Jeffrey spotted on the crawl
A tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) Some people jokingly refer to salamanders as "gummy lizards". It certainly is easy to see why people who normally are scared of or dislike reptiles and amphibians usually have few issues with these "gummy lizards". They even have big smiles on their faces.
I often come across an insect I've never seen before that intrigues me. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to get a photo. This time it was a bumble flower beetle (Euphoria inda). It flew like a bumblebee and not until it crash-landed onto the forest floor did I realize it in fact was a beetle. Very interesting colors and morphology.
Six central newts (Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis) as found under a log. These are in the eft stage.
No comments:
Post a Comment