Fall Break

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kevin h
Posts: 99
Joined: January 18th, 2015, 3:04 pm

Fall Break

Post by kevin h »

Hey guys,

So for my fall break my best friend, Ananth, my family and I loaded up into the car and went to visit one of my favorite places, Asheville, NC. We're down there a lot due to family but we also go cause the salamander diversity down there is awesome. We only had two days so we prioritized lifers and while it was forecasted to rain they had been in such a drought it was still dry under much of the cover. Because of this we didn't do as well as what we had hoped but still it was a great time. So without further adieu here's what we found.


ImageBlack-bellied Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

ImageBlack-bellied Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
The ever ubiquitous black-belly.


ImageCarolina Mountain Dusky Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

ImageCarolina Mountain Dusky Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
This was a lifer for Ananth.


ImageWhite-spotted Slimy Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr


ImageBlue Ridge Parkway by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
View from a stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the best places on earth.


ImageRed Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
One night while it rained we decided to see if walking these mountain gravel roads near our cabin and were certainly glad we did. It became the most productive event of the trip with four reds in total.


ImagePlethodon sp. by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
There was also this Gray-cheeked that I'm not certain on the species, all I can say was that it was just south of the Swannanoa River and east of Asheville. If you guys know whether it was a Blue Ridge or a northern I'd love to know.


ImageYonahlossee (Crevice) Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

ImageYonahlossee (Crevice) Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
The next day was spent going after these guys since Ananth had never seen them. We were hoping for greens as well but for some reason I've never seen both at the same time.


ImageBlue Ridge Gray-cheeked Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

ImageBlue Ridge Gray-cheeked Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
This was a lifer for both of us and as far as I'm considered the find of the trip. This was also my 89th salamander lifer.


ImageHickory Nut Gorge by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr
Some P. amplus habitat.


Thanks for looking guys and happy herping.

Kevin Hutcheson.
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Noah M
Posts: 2293
Joined: November 3rd, 2012, 7:00 pm
Location: Gainesville, FL
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Re: Fall Break

Post by Noah M »

Nice. The diversity up there is astonishing!
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