End of Year Post (long)

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Aneides Aeneus
Posts: 47
Joined: November 15th, 2014, 8:54 am
Location: Lexington, KY

End of Year Post (long)

Post by Aneides Aeneus »

This year was my most successful year of herping to date, so I thought I should share some of the herps I was lucky enough to see (along with my parents, my friend Kevin Hutcheson, and his dad Bruce). Most of our finds were made in Kentucky, but we also took several trips to nearby states, and a month-long trip to Colorado.


A while back I did two detailed posts on my finds this spring, so in this post I will only include some of my favorite photos.


Streamside salamander (KY):
ImageStreamside salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Chamberlain's dwarf salamander (AL):
ImageChamberlain's dwarf salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Jefferson salamander (KY):
ImageJefferson salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Lesser siren (GA):
ImageLesser siren by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Striped crayfish snake (GA):
ImageStriped crayfish snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Eastern narrow-mouthed toad (GA):
ImageEastern narrow-mouthed toad by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Corn snake (GA):
ImageCorn snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Florida red-bellied turtle (GA):
ImageFlorida red-bellied turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Southern red salamander (GA):
ImageSouthern red salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Two-toed amphiuma (GA):
ImageTwo-toed amphiuma by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Barking treefrog (GA):
ImageBarking treefrog by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Eastern cottonmouth (SC):
ImageEastern cottonmouth by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Copperhead (KY):
ImageNorthern copperhead by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Seal salamander (left) and Black Mountain dusky salamander (right) (KY):
ImageSeal and Black Mountain dusky salamanders by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Mating mountain chorus frogs (KY):
ImageMountain chorus frog by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Mountain dusky salamander (KY):
ImageAllegheny mountain dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Flathead snake (IL):
ImageFlathead snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Red milk snake (IL):
ImageRed milk snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Mole salamander (IL):
ImageMole salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Spiny softshell (KY):
ImageSpiny softshell turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Blanding's turtle (Ontario, Canada):
ImageBlanding's turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Queen snake (KY):
ImageQueen snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Black kingsnake (KY):
ImageBlack king snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Green salamander (KY):
ImageGreen salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Hognose snake (KY):
ImageEastern hognose snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


After the end of school in June, my parents, Kevin, and I embarked on a trip down the Blue Ridge. I already did a post on it, so again I will only put some of the better photos into this post.


Unidentified plethodon - either a young wehrle's salamander or a cheat mountain salamander. What do you guys think?
ImageUnidentified Plethodontid by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Wehrle's salamander:
ImageWehrle's salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Red-bellied snake:
ImageNorthern red-bellied snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Shenandoah salamander:
ImageShenandoah salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Smooth green snake:
ImageSmooth green snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Big Levels salamander:
ImageBig Levels salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Timber rattlesnake:
ImageTimber rattlesnake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Peaks of Otter salamander:
ImagePeaks of Otter salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Rat snake:
ImageBlack rat snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Rufous-sided towhee (I know, I know, not a herp):
ImageRufous-sided towhee by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Weller's salamander:
ImageWeller's salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Yonahlossee salamander:
ImageYonahlossee salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Green salamander:
ImageGreen salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Red salamander:
ImageBlack-chinned red salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Santeetlah dusky salamander:
ImageP1050134_SanteetlahDuskysm_new by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Pygmy salamander:
ImageSouthern pygmy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Spring salamander:
ImageBlue Ridge spring salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Imitator salamander:
ImageImitator salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


The rest of my summer was quite hectic, due to two long trips to Canada and to Colorado. This didn't leave much time for herping in Kentucky; we only had about two weeks or so in June. One day in the Bluegrass region produced this milk snake, among other common herps:

ImageEastern milk snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

On another day, we headed out to the Cumberland Plateau region. First we visited this picturesque lake:

ImageEastern Kentucky lake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

One of many softshell turtles seen there:

ImageSpiny softshell turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we walked up a secluded stream valley into some cool, moist forest. Slimy salamanders were common here:

ImageNorthern slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageNorthern slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Seal salamanders were common along the stream:

ImageSeal salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In limestone outcrops along the stream, we found cave and longtail salamanders, but we were not able to get good photos. We also found 4 black mountain dusky salamanders, every single one of which escaped!

On another day in Eastern Kentucky, we visited an area of karst topography, where we found this young Cumberland Plateau salamander:

ImageCumberland plateau salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Despite heavy rains, were were able to find one snake - a ringneck:

ImageNorthern ringneck snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Longtail salamanders were very common in limestone cliffs and outcrops:

ImageLongtail salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The find of the day was this northern dusky salamander guarding eggs:

ImageNorthern dusky salamander guarding eggs by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Kevin and I spent some time herping in our neighborhood in Lexington, where we found cave salamanders to be extremely common in storm drains and culverts! Amazingly, most of them seemed to be large and healthy.

ImageCave salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We spent another day in the Bluegrass region, searching for milk snakes and various salamanders. We did well with the milks:

ImageEastern milk snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr
One of three found.

Due to recent rains, the streams were swollen, and stream-dwelling salamanders were scarce. However, the rains did make for beautiful scenery:

ImageBluegrass region stream by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageBluegrass region waterfall by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


And after that, we were off to Colorado, where my dad had been invited to attend a physics conference. We decided to drive there, so we could spend some time in the great plains on the way. We spent two days in Kansas, where morning cruising produced a few cool herps.

A cute ornate box turtle:
ImageOrnate box turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Plains garter snake:
ImagePlains garter snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Slender glass lizard:
ImageWestern slender glass lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

During the heat of the day, we went to some wetland areas, where we saw a few common herps, and many cool birds.

Plains leopard frogs were extremely abundant:
ImagePlains leopard frog by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Western painted turtles:
ImageWestern painted turtles by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Great plains skink guarding eggs (found under a railroad tie):
ImageGreat plains skink by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Western meadowlark:
ImageWestern meadowlark by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Swallows:
ImageBank, barn, and cliff swallows by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Black-necked stilt:
ImageBlack-necked stilt by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Black-crowned night heron:
ImageBlack-crowned night heron by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Night cruising produced some interesting snakes, among other things.

Texas brown snake:
ImageTexas brown snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

One of three western massasaugas seen:
ImageWestern massasauga rattlesnake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Frogs and toads were also common at night. Leopard frogs were everywhere, and so were great plains toads:
ImageGreat plains toad by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Woodhouse toads were also common:
ImageWoodhouse toad by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

After that, we moved on the the plains of eastern Colorado. Here, we found my favorite snake find of the year (and my only snake lifer since our spring trip to Georgia) - a western hognose snake:
ImageWestern hognose snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageWestern hognose snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We also found this large bullsnake:
ImageBull snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


In Colorado, we stayed up in the rockies, in Aspen. Herp diversity was low here, but the scenery was spectacular:
Image"Colorado Rocky Mountain High" by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Aspen was also a birder's paradise. During the week, my dad had to do work-related stuff, so I volunteered at an environmental center in the meantime. My job was to help out with a summer camp, which basically meant standing around and making sure the kids didn't do anything dumb; this gave me lots of time for birdwatching.

Violet-green swallow:
ImageViolet-green swallow by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Red-naped sapsucker:
ImageRed-naped sapsucker by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Western scrub jay:
ImageWestern scrub jay by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Ok, enough with birds. Here are the few herps we saw in the Aspen area:

Wandering garter snakes were pretty common:
ImageWandering garter snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We also found a single adult tiger salamander - my second one ever. I apologize for the poor photo, I only had my phone with me at the time:
ImageArizona Tiger salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


During the weekends, we drove towards the Utah border, to explore the Colorado Plateau region on the west slope. The scenery here was also beautiful, in a very different way:
ImageMesa on Colorado's West Slope by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The most common herps here (and often the only herps during the day) were the lizards. We saw quite a few species (by Kentucky standards).

Perhaps the most common lizard was the side-blotched lizard. Despite their abundance, I thought they were very pretty:
ImageSide-blotched lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageSide-blotched lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Another common species was the plateau lizard:
ImagePlateau lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImagePlateau lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A close relative of the plateau lizard, the sagebrush lizard was another common lizard in this region. We only saw two though, because we spent most of our time in canyons, which sagebrush lizards seem not to prefer:
ImageSagebrush lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

There were also two species of whiptails in the area. The more common one was the tiger whiptail; these guys seemed to be active all day despite the heat:
ImageTiger whiptail by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageTiger whiptail by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Plateau-striped whiptails, on the other hand, seemed to only be active in the morning, when it was cooler. These guys almost never stopped moving; they were an absolute pain to photograph:
ImagePlateau-striped whiptail by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A young one:
ImagePlateau-striped whiptail by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

One minor goal of mine was to see tree lizards; I hadn't seen any for several years. However, on this trip we were able to find several:
ImageOrnate tree lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageOrnate tree lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And how could I forget the collared lizards. These guys had absolutely stunning coloration, making them my favorite lizard of the region:
ImageCollared lizard by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

One lizard we did not see (which we had hoped to see) was the long-nosed leopard lizard. We found almost no information about their habitat preferences and habits through research, which was probably why we didn't find one. Does anyone here know what kind of habitat long-nosed leopard lizards prefer, and when they are most active?


On our visits to the Colorado Plateau, we also saw a few snakes. During the daytime, snakes were pretty scarce (we only found a couple of garter snakes), so most of our snake sightings were made by road cruising. The most common species was the great basin gopher snake:
ImageGreat basin gopher snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Apart from gopher snakes, we found this striped whipsnake:
ImageStriped whipsnake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And this midget-faded rattlesnake:
ImageMidget-faded rattlesnake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageMidget-faded rattlesnake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


As expected, amphibians were not very common or diverse in the area. We saw a few woodhouse toads and red spotted toads around pools in canyons, and we found a few leopard frogs by road cruising near a pond. In one canyon pool, we found several tiger salamanders, our favorite amphibian find of the trip. They had just lost their gills, and would occasionally swim up to the surface to gulp air:
ImageArizona tiger salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageArizona tiger salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Habitat:
ImageCanyon on Colorado's West Slope by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


I'd like to thank everyone who gave me help in planning our herping on this trip, including (but not limited to) Tim Warfel, Dan Krull, Wayne Brekhus, and Joe Farah. After three enjoyable weeks, we headed back to Kentucky in time for the start of school. However, this did put an end to our herping! During the week, Kevin and I found some common stuff in our neighborhood after school.

Water:
ImageNorthern water snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Garter:
ImageGarter snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Queen:
ImageQueen snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


On our first weekend after the beginning of school, we drove to a spot which has become my favorite place in eastern Kentucky (since our first visit in May). In this area, a large creek cuts a roughly 150 foot deep, 1/4 mile wide gorge through sandstone and limestone, creating a cool, moist environment perfect for salamanders. Inside the gorge is a pretty mature forest of hemlock and rhododendron.

On the way there, we stopped at a nice road cut, were we found some snakes.

One of two ringnecks:
ImageNorthern ringneck snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageNorthern ringneck snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

One of three worms:
ImageMidwest worm snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A baby milk in shed:
ImageEastern milk snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a super cute baby copperhead:
ImageNorthern copperhead by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageNorthern copperhead by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Also seen were five-lined skinks and fence lizards.

Next, we moved on to the gorge its self. This time, we went to the lower part of the gorge, where there was an actual trail running along the base of the cliffs. In a seep draining from the cliffs, we found seal salamanders:
ImageSeal salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And mountain dusky salamanders. These guys are very localized in eastern Kentucky, and this gorge is one of the few places where they are common:
ImageAllegheny mountain dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In a crevice, we found a single green salamander (we were expecting more):
ImageGreen salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In this gorge, longtail salamanders seem to pop up everywhere: in the main creek, in small springs, in the cliffs, under logs in the woods, under driftwood in the middle of wide sand banks, even under pebbles on top of bare boulders!
ImageLongtail salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

On this day, we were surprised to find 8 cumberland plateau salamanders in moist cliff faces. Normally this species is uncommon at best, greatly outnumbered by slimy salamanders. Not a single slimy salamander was seen along this cliff line.
ImageCumberland plateau salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A wet rock face home to cumberland plateau and longtail salamanders:
ImageCumberland Plateau salamander habitat by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In a small stream below the cliffs, we found two northern dusky salamanders:
ImageNorthern dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And that concluded our finds for the day.


About a week later, our friend Nigel Smith announced that he was moving to North Carolina. We decided to go herping together one last time before he left. We began by visiting an abandoned barn in the Bluegrass region, where we found milk snakes:
ImageEastern milk snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a ringneck snake:
ImageNorthern ringneck snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we visited a tin site Nigel had set up in a forested valley at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. This site is a hot spot for kingsnakes, and sure enough, we found a nice one despite it being the hottest time of the day:
ImageBlack king snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Nigel spotted this enormous water snake sunning on a rock pile:
ImageNorthern water snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Finally, we visited an illegal dumping area, where we found another king, and my favorite find of the day: my second ever eastern smooth earth snake:
ImageEastern smooth earth snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

After that, we said goodbye to Nigel, wishing him luck with some sandhills herps in North Carolina.


In Kentucky (and the rest of the southeast, I gather), we had a rather cool, rainy fall. Snakes were a bit uncommon at times, but we had wonderful luck with the salamanders. One day, we visited an area with a huge diversity of habitats, and at several spots combined, we found 11 salamander species.

We reached nearly 100 slimies:
ImageNorthern slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Two-lines were common in streams:
ImageSouthern two-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Near one ephemeral stream, recent rains brought two young red salamanders to the surface:
ImageNorthern red salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Northern duskies were also seen, but not photographed.

Vernal pond areas produced efts:
ImageRed eft by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

As well as two marbled salamanders:
ImageMarbled salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A surprising number of four-toed salamanders:
ImageFour-toed salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And this obese, bulging spotted salamander:
ImageSpotted salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A streamside salamander was found near a sluggish stream:
ImageStreamside salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Our favorite spot was a very nice muddy seep, where to our astonishment we found 5 mud salamanders!!!
ImageMidland mud salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The first time I've ever laid eyes on two mud salamanders at once:
ImageMidland mud salamanders by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Longtail salamanders were super common in the seep. It seems like longtail salamanders are often common where mud salamanders are present, based on my limited experiences.
ImageLongtail salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In these habitats, we also saw several interesting frog species.

American toad (well, maybe not that interesting):
ImageAmerican toad by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Blanchard's cricket frog:
ImageBlanchard's cricket frog by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Wood frog:
ImageWood frog by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Upland chorus frog:
ImageUpland chorus frog by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Spring peeper:
ImageSpring peeper by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Fowler's toad:
ImageFowler's toad by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

That day, we weren't expecting to find snakes, because temperatures hardly reached the sixties. However, it seemed that snakes were active during the preceding warm weather, and were caught in the cold, and forced to come to the surface to warm up. On past visits, we had seen one ringneck snake or a worm snake in a day. On this visit, we found 4 brown snakes, a water snake, a ringneck, and a worm.

The brown snakes were sort of exciting - we don't see them too often:
ImageMidland brown snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

On another day, we visited some snake spots in the cave region of west-central Kentucky. This was another cool, sunny day after some warm weather, so we figured flipping tin would be pretty productive. However, we flipped tin for almost the entire day, and only came up with a few racers, a bunch of ringnecks, and a worm snake.
ImageBlack racer by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We didn't even see copperheads, which are usually common here. However, at 3 PM, we decided to check one last tin site before heading home. The site was a 1.5 mile walk from the nearest road, but our determination payed off.

First came this worm snake:
ImageMidwest worm snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Then this western smooth earth snake.
ImageWestern smooth earth snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

I would have gone home happy if that had been our last find of the day, but there was more to come. We came to an area with about 6 tin sheets scattered around. Under the first was a ringneck. Under the second were these two copperheads:
ImageNorthern copperheads by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Does anyone know what's up with the color of the lighter individual? We guessed that it had some kind of genetic disorder or condition.

Under sheet 3 of 6, we found the best find of the day, this beautiful corn snake (which I failed at photographing):
ImageCorn snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The next 3 sheets held another copperhead, a fat garter snake, and a ringneck. We couldn't believe how our luck had changed in the last hour of the day!


In October, Kevin and I had 3 days off school for "fall break". My mom and Kevin's dad were free, so we headed down to the Great Smoky and Unicoi Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina (my favorite place on earth). It poured rain the whole trip, which made for unpleasant hiking conditions, but gave us better chances to find our target: the junaluska salamander. This is pretty much the only salamander species in the southern appalachians which we have searched for 4 or 5 times without success. However, this time we had come at the right time of year, I did some extra research, and I received some helpful tips from Todd Pierson (which I am thankful for).

We began by taking a trail along a large creek. Under the very first log Kevin touched, he found this:
ImageBlack-chinned red salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Not five minutes later, under a log practically lying in the trail, I found this:
ImageBlue Ridge spring salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

It was great to be back in the smokies!

Further along the trail, in small streams, we found two-lined salamanders, as well as spotted dusky salamanders:
ImageSpotted dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And black-bellied salamanders:
ImageBlack-bellied salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageBlack-bellied salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we visited a vernal pond area in the foothills, where we found 13 marbled salamanders:
ImageMarbled salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A couple found in the dry pond bottom were guarding eggs:
ImageMarbled salamander guarding eggs by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Slimy salamanders were also common in the surrounding woods:
ImageNorthern slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The next day, we began by hiking a mid-elevation trail in search of our secondary target: seepage salamanders. This trail began by winding though northern hardwood forests and about 4000 ft ASL. Here, ocoee salamanders were common in trailside springs and rivulets:
ImageOcoee salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Blue Ridge two-lined salamanders were common in similar habitats. We saw some very pretty ones that day:
ImageBlue Ridge two-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageBlue Ridge two-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Under logs along the trail, we found many southern redback salamanders:
ImageSouthern redback salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a few southern appalachian salamanders:
ImageAppalachian woodland salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

From there, the trail transitioned into some beautiful old growth hemlock forest. There, tellico salamanders began to replace the southern appalachian salamanders:
ImageTellico salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageTellico salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

By flipping small cover objects such as thick sticks and bark, we were able to find several seepage salamanders:
ImageSeepage salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageSeepage salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Also found in that section were black-bellied salamanders, and more two-lined and ocoee salamanders.

Next, we visited a gravel forest road at high elevation, where we were hoping to find santeetlah dusky salamanders in the gravelly, spring-fed rivulets along the road. And sure enough, we found two:
ImageSanteetlah dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Also found at that spot were ocoee, black-bellied, and two-lined salamanders.

Next, we visited a moist, north-facing cove at high elevation, where we hoped to find pygmy salamanders. We did not succeed, and instead we found a seepage salamander which looked a lot like a pygmy (especially with the help of a little wishful thinking). We also found a small plethodon which looked exactly like a graycheek salamander (no white spotting, no red coloration), although those aren't in range. In this mountain range, I believe there is hybridization between red-legged salamanders and southern appalachian salamanders. Does anyone know if a southern appalachian X red-legged salamander hybrid would look like a graycheek salamander?

It had been raining all day, and when night fell the rain showed no signs of stopping. This was our chance to look for junaluskas. We hopped in the car, and cruised down a likely road.

Spotted dusky salamanders were the most common species we saw:
ImageSpotted dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We also found a large seal salamander:
ImageSeal salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a black-bellied salamander:
ImageBlack-bellied salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And finally, after about 45 minutes, Kevin spotted something yellow on the road...

ImageJunaluska salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

JUNALUSKAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D

After the trip, I realized that the specimen we saw was prettier that most, based on photos from the internet. I think this might've been our find of the year. The next morning, we packed up and headed home.

Now let me throw in some scenery shots to show you why the smokies is my favorite place on earth:
ImageGreat Smoky Mountains by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageSouthern appalachian waterfall by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageSouthern Appalachian river by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

On another weekend in October, we were able to spend a day on Pigeon Mountain in Georgia. We began by searching for the endemic Pigeon Mountain salamander, which ended up being our most common species for the day;
ImagePigeon Mountain salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImagePigeon Mountain salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

While searching for P. petraeus, we also found many cave salamanders:
ImageCave salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A few slimies:
ImageNorthern slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A spotted dusky:
ImageSpotted dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A green salamander:
ImageGreen salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A longtail salamander (excuse the poor photo, it's kinda hard to maneuver around while holding a flashlight and a camera in a dark cave):
ImageLongtail salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a cute juvenile box turtle:
ImageEastern box turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we visited a vernal pond I had located on Google Maps. This place turned out to be way more productive than we expected. Soon after reaching the pond, my dad called out, "Hey, a spotted or a streamside or a smallmouth or something". I ran over, and looked at where he was pointing to see this:
ImageMole salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

My second ever mole salamander!

ImageMole salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And as if that wasn't good enough, a few minutes later I lifted a large stick in the muddy pond bottom to find my third ever mole salamander:
ImageMole salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Meanwhile, Kevin flipped up this marbled salamander guarding eggs:
ImageMarbled salamander guarding eggs by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And this spotted salamander:
ImageSpotted salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we hiked towards a stream home to spring and red salamanders. Unfortunately, I greatly misjudged distances on the map, and we were not able to get there by nightfall (despite hiking 6 miles total). Oh well, we still had a great day. Along that hike, we did find a few things, including several southern redback salamanders:
ImageSouthern redback salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

A northern cricket frog (a surprise lifer for Kevin):
ImageNorthern cricket frog by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

An american toad:
ImageAmerican toad by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And the only snake of the day, a small worm snake:
ImageMidwest worm snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


Our next herping outing was to a wide, shale-bedded stream valley in eastern Kentucky. The stream has many large, flat rocks to flip, and several thin, deep valleys join the main valley, providing more salamander habitat. Both spring and red salamanders are present here, as well as 3 dusky salamanders and an assortment of other species. On this November day, spring salamanders seemed like our most achievable target.

We began by finding many two-lined salamanders (as usual):
ImageSouthern two-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a few northern dusky salamanders:
ImageNorthern dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

After heading down the main stream a bit, we decided to head up a particularly productive tributary into a very thin valley with moist deciduous forest. On a visit last November, we found a large longtail salamander here, and last March we found a black mountain dusky salamander in this tributary.

On this day, due to recent rain, plethodon salamanders were more common than usual. Under a log at the foot of the hillside, we found this ravine salamander:
ImageSouthern ravine salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Up along the tributary stream, seal salamanders were common:
ImageSeal salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In the thin valley of the tributary, we found a mix of slimy and Cumberland Plateau salamanders. We even found one of each species under two logs not five feet apart, but I stupidly let the slimy escape, preventing us from getting a comparison photo (oh well).

Slimy:
ImageNorthern slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Cumberland Plateau:
ImageCumberland plateau salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

While eating lunch, Kevin noticed this spring salamander sitting out on top of the wet leaf litter in the forest:
ImageKentucky spring salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Habitat:
ImageEastern Kentucky ravine by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We returned to the main stream, and followed it downstream, finding more slimy, two-lined, and northern dusky salamanders. After a couple of miles, we reached this large beaver pond:
ImageEastern Kentucky beaver pond by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The pond is home to a large population of newts, and we found both aquatic adults and efts in and around the pond:
ImageRed eft by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Returning back up the stream, I flipped a small rock I had missed on the way down, and found a large spring salamander (#2 for the day):
ImageKentucky spring salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We ended the day by hiking up the hillsides to a small sandstone outcrop on a ridge, where we found 4 green salamanders. Unfortunately, they had chosen their hiding spots well, and we weren't able to get any photos.


On another Saturday in November, we decided to go herping. I wanted to herp in a favorite area of ours in the Bluegrass region, but Kevin did not want to herp in the Bluegrass due to the low salamander diversity. Eventually, I convinced him my betting that we could find 7 species of salamanders in a day there. This was a risky bet, because there are only 12 salamander species in the area; two species (spotted and jefferson salamanders) are only active in early spring, and another is the mud salamander, which you just can't count on seeing anytime. Cave and slimy salamanders are usually not active in November, and (oddly enough) in two years of searching we have only seen one newt in the region. All this meant that we were only likely to find 6 species if we searched in their preferred habitats (zigzag, ravine, two-lined, northern dusky, streamside, spring). However, we were nonetheless determined to try for 7.

We began by herping in a small ephemeral stream home to two-lined, dusky, streamside, and spring salamanders. There we found plenty of two-lines and duskies:
ImageSouthern two-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageNorthern dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In the neighboring woods, we also found ravine salamanders:
ImageSouthern ravine salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

However, parts of the stream were still dry, and spring and streamside salamanders were nowhere to be seen.

Next, we visited three separate vernal ponds, hoping to get lucky and find a spotted or jefferson salamander close to the surface, despite it being the wrong season. We had no such luck, but we did find loads of ravine salamanders, and a few pretty zigzag salamanders:
ImageNorthern zigzag salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we visited the only other spot we knew of for streamside salamanders. This spot consisted of a couple of vernal ponds, with a small muddy stream draining out of them. At this spot, we also found a jefferson salamander back in 2014, so we were hopeful of adding another species to our counts. After about an hour, we flipped an old, half-buried, decaying wooden board beside the pond to find this fatty:
ImageStreamside salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we visited a larger stream where we had had good luck with spring salamanders in the past. We were discouraged to find that parts of this stream, like the last one, were dry, decreasing our chances. However, after about an hour and a half of finding duskies and two-lines, Kevin flipped up a nice spring, an soon after my dad found another:
ImageKentucky spring salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

With 6 species under our belts, we headed to our last site. At this spot, a small permanent stream tumbles over many waterfalls as it descends through a thin, steep valley towards the Kentucky River:

ImageBluegrass region waterfall by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

This is a great spot for cave salamanders during late spring and summer, and we have found a single slimy salamander here in the past (in addition to ravine, two-lined, and dusky salamanders). Amazingly, we were able to find 2 cave salamanders AND a slimy salamander on this visit, even despite the season. They were in thin crevices, so I didn't get any photos as proof, but I swear it happened! With 8 species for the day (meeting and surpassing our goal), we returned home successful.


On the last weekend in November, we visited an area at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, hoping to find southern zigzag salamanders. We first went to a waterfall we knew of with a diversity of salamanders. We have herped here quite a bit in the past, but never at a time of year when zigzag salamanders are active (late October through early April). While we struck out on zigzags, we did find many two-lined and northern dusky salamanders:
ImageNorthern dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Next, we searched a steep, wooded hillside below some limestone bluffs. The spot looked a bit too dry to be productive, but the abundance of limestone chunks made it look like an okay spot for zigzags nonetheless. After about 45 minutes, just when we were about to give up, we found this little stub-tailed southern zigzag:
ImageSouthern zigzag salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

After that, we went to one other stream, where we found more two-lined and northern dusky salamanders. We also found an idiotic garter snake out sunning, despite it being way later in the year than when snakes should be out. It seemed to be in pretty bad shape - it looked quite lean. When we found it, it fled into a hole; I hope it has the sense to stay in that hole until March or so.


The next weekend, my cousins came down from Illinois, so we decided to take them herping for a half-day. We went to a nice rocky stream in the Bluegrass region, hoping to find streamside and spring salamanders. We struck out on springs, but we were able to find 6 streamsides:
ImageStreamside salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Look at that face!
ImageStreamside salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We also found about 30 two-lined salamanders:
ImageSouthern two-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a couple ravine salamanders:
ImageSouthern ravine salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


Over Thanksgiving break, we visited my aunt and uncle in Raleigh, North Carolina. The weather was unseasonably warm, and we were able to squeeze quite a bit of herping into the trip, so we ended up finding a lot of stuff. On the way there, we stopped for a bit in West Virginia, where we found perhaps the four most common salamander species in the region.

Northern dusky:
ImageNorthern dusky salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Redback:
ImageRedback salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Ravine:
ImageSouthern ravine salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Two-lined:
ImageTwo-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

I am a little confused about this two-lined salamander. It seems to have the characteristics of a northern two-line, but it was found in southern WV (Mercer County). What do you guys think? Could there be northern two-lined salamanders that far south?


In Raleigh, my aunt and uncle live right near a lake with a bit of forest around it:
ImageRaleigh area lake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

This lake is home to lots of birds.

Red-tailed hawk:
ImageRed-tailed hawk by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Yellow-bellied sapsucker:
ImageYellow-bellied sapsucker by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Flicker:
ImageFlicker by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The lake and adjoining woods are also home to plenty of herps. To begin with, the lake is great for turtles.

Common musk turtle:
ImageCommon musk turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Eastern painted turtle:
ImageEastern painted turtle by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Yellow-bellied slider:
ImageYellow-bellied slider by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Painteds and a slider together:
ImageEastern painted turtles and a yellow-bellied slider by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

There are anoles around the lake, which is pretty cool for a guy from Kentucky:
ImageGreen anole by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Over the years we've seen a variety of snakes around the lake - ringneck, brown, water, garter, racer, rat, copperhead, etc. I find it very encouraging that humans and copperheads can coexist in a city park like that. On this trip, it was a little too cold for larger snakes, but some very cute hatching small snakes were around (frankly, it's pretty cool that snakes were out at all that late in the year).

Red-bellied snake:
ImageNorthern red-bellied snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Brown snake (with my pinky finger for comparison):
ImageNorthern brown snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Worm snake:
ImageEastern worm snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

The woods around the lake are also home to white-spotted slimy salamanders:
ImageWhite-spotted slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

One morning, we visited another city park in town, with a good salamander diversity. Here, in some moist forests in a creek floodplain, we found many marbled salamanders:
ImageMarbled salamanders by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a large, aberrant spotted salamander:
ImageSpotted salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We also flipped up a big worm snake:
ImageEastern worm snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And came across a young red-bellied snake crossing the trail:
ImageNorthern red-bellied snake by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

During this visit, we were also hoping to find chamberlain's dwarf salamanders. I went on Google Maps, and found a promising but sketchy-looking spot nearby. There was a wide floodplain with a hillside next to it, and the hillside was cut by a couple of little valleys. I was hoping those valleys would contain seeps, but I wasn't sure. We went there and found that there was indeed a seep, but there was nothing to flip. However, by sifting through leaf litter at the water's edge, we found several dusky salamanders, a two-lined salamander, and this beautiful little chamberlain's dwarf salamander:
ImageChamberlain's dwarf salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


On our way back from North Carolina, we stopped in southern Virginia to search for the recently discovered flat-headed salamander. We stopped at a small stream at the foot of the Blue Ridge, and in not too long we found our target:
ImageFlat-headed salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

To me, their head shape didn't seem any different from regular northern dusky salamanders found in other areas. However, they did have a color pattern I've never seen in northern dusky salamanders - two fused rows of diamond-shaped blotches down the back, with a dark area in between.

ImageFlat-headed salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

At that spot, we also found black-bellied salamanders:
ImageBlack-bellied salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And seal salamanders:
ImageSeal salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


Back in Kentucky, we spent one Saturday morning in an ephemeral stream in eastern Kentucky. There were plenty of northern dusky salamanders:
ImageNorthern dusky salamanders by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a couple two-lines:
ImageSouthern two-lined salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We also found a whole bunch of ravine salamanders in the surrounding woods:
ImageSouthern ravine salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

And a young slimy salamander - I would never have expected to find one in December!
ImageNorthern slimy salamander by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

We also saw this cool red-bellied woodpecker:
ImageRed-bellied woodpecker by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr


Over winter break, we went to Toronto, Canada to spend time with relatives. This involved, among other things, birdwatching in 18-degree weather (my family is pretty strange).

Downy woodpecker:
ImageDowny woodpecker by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Barred owl:
ImageBarred owl by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

During winter break, I became aware of a unique spot in Ontario for seeing mudpuppies in winter. A couple of scientists have been monitoring this site every Friday night in winter for several years, and the public is encouraged to join them. For more information about this unique and awesome experience, you can check out their website (http://pinicola.ca/mudpup1.htm) or their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MudpuppyNight/).

Anyway, my mom and I had wanted to see mudpuppies for years, so we decided to make the 4-hour drive to eastern Ontario to attend "mudpuppy night". Conditions were sub-optimal (according to the people who have been monitoring the site), but we still saw 6 mudpuppies. Apparently on optimal nights, they have seen up to 180 mudpuppies!

In situ:
ImageCommon mudpuppy by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

In bucket:
ImageCommon mudpuppy by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageCommon mudpuppy by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageCommon mudpuppy by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

ImageCommon mudpuppy by aneidesaeneus, on Flickr

Notice that in the last photo, the thermometer in the water reads 35 degrees. The air temperature was more like 15 degrees. Needless to say, it was cooooooooooold! To make matters worse, my mom's boots were not quite tall enough, so she had to wade into the near-freezing water with no leg protection. However, we both agree that it was totally worth it.

Happy new year everyone; good luck in 2016!

-Ananth
User avatar
Berkeley Boone
Posts: 878
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am

Re: End of Year Post (long)

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Wow, Ananth! You are the salamander king! Nice post, good variety.

One clarification, though. The lone turtle you had labelled as a yellowbelly is actually a river cooter.

Happy New Year to you as well!
--Berkeley
User avatar
Blacktail31
Posts: 50
Joined: March 2nd, 2013, 4:47 pm
Location: Tucson Arizona

Re: End of Year Post (long)

Post by Blacktail31 »

Wow all these great EOY post are amazing and really make me feel like a lazy bum. I spent most the year in great areas too, Arizona Florida New Mexico Kansas and Missouri and have little to show for it. To 2016!!!
User avatar
kevin h
Posts: 99
Joined: January 18th, 2015, 3:04 pm

Re: End of Year Post (long)

Post by kevin h »

2015 was certainly a monumental year for me and one I will never for get. Great job for condensing it down Ananth and neat photos.
NACairns
Posts: 372
Joined: December 30th, 2013, 7:27 am

Re: End of Year Post (long)

Post by NACairns »

Wow, great post, lovely photography. You sure dominated in the salamander department with great diversity over all. Fred said he had some folks up from KY for a special 'puppying evening so I was hoping it would get posted up here. He's not kidding, when the weather has been cold for a few weeks the density of Necturus is insane and they can be very active especially in extreme cold. If you are in Ontario again drop me a line.
Best,
Nick
User avatar
Aneides Aeneus
Posts: 47
Joined: November 15th, 2014, 8:54 am
Location: Lexington, KY

Re: End of Year Post (long)

Post by Aneides Aeneus »

Thanks guys for the positive comments!

Berkeley - I thought that turtle looked pretty strange! How can you tell that it is a river cooter and not, for example, a florida cooter? It was found in a large lake with a rather small creek draining from it, so I'm surprised a river cooter would show up there.

Nick - even with the low density of mudpuppies, "mudpuppy night" was a pretty neat experience. I will certainly let you know when we'll be in Ontario next. We will probably come up to the Pelee area in late April or Early May, and hopefully we'll have a bit of time for herping.

-Ananth
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