It's been a crazy past month and a half weather-wise in the mid-Atlantic. Late February saw several days of record-breaking high temperatures, with some days inching into the upper 70s. The amphibians really started moving the last week of February and the first week of March, with many breeding choruses heard. However, after that first week, temperatures dropped significantly, with many nights being at or below freezing. There was even and ice and snow storm thrown in there. It wasn't until about two weeks ago that temps went back to normal. Thankfully, the frogs are back to breeding and the Wood Frog eggs did just fine in the cold temps. The reptiles are even making themselves know more regularly, much to my pleasure.
Let's start off with finds at or near my house. These are from late February through the present.
Calling and breeding Wood Frogs (night of Feb 24th)
DSCN3113 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3119 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3121 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3137 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Many clusters of eggs had already been laid
DSCN3126 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0194 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0200 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3131 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
A few weeks later
DSCN0385 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0402 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Tadpoles began emerging 2-3 weeks after the eggs were laid. They start off very small.
DSCN0404 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0390 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
The sites the Wood Frogs bred in were not true vernal pools, as they are rather natural pools along the small creeks that snake through these woods. As such, Green Frog tadpoles that were hatched last Fall can be found with regularity in these pools.
DSCN0396 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0397 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3132 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0551 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
American Toads began breeding in the same pools after things warmed up again in March. I haven't been able to find their eggs, though, and recent heavy rains may have washed them away.
DSCN0450 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0463 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
A few weeks ago, I found my first lizard of the year, a juvenile Five-lined Skink that I flipped under my always-reliable downspout splashguard
DSCN0417 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0412 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Another skink I found under the same spot the other day
iphone Five-lined Skink 4 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
iphone Five-lined Skink 5 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
And on a 50F, overcast Sunday, I flipped my first snake of the year there as well - an Eastern Wormsnake
iphone Eastern Wormsnake 7 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
iphone Eastern Wormsnake 8 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Here's a Common Crayfish (I believe) that I caught in a minnow trap in the creek behind my house
DSCN0543 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0546 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
And a small Northern Dusky Salamander flipped under a rock in a seepage area
DSCN0552 (2) by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
To wrap up the finds near my house, here's one of my absolute favorite finds of the year so far. I have seen Spotted Salamanders before, and I've even seen my share elsewhere this season, but never have I seen one in the woods near my house. I have spent a lot of time back in those woods, and I've flipped loads and loads of rocks and logs. After not seeing any evidence of them breeding in the vernals, I had written off the possibility that they lived nearby. That is, until one day I went to look for toad eggs, and I flipped a small long adjacent to the Wood Frog/Toad vernal pool on a whim. Low and behold, this beauty was just sitting there, and I'm quite sure I screamed in joy.
iphone Spotted Salamander by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
So I found that one. Where are the rest? I'm wondering why I haven't seen any signs of them breeding. Is it because the true vernal pools did not fill up until midway through March?
Moving on, February 28th brought the first warm rains and it turned out to be a very productive night to roadcruise the less developed parts of Fairfax County. My friend and I turned up eight frog and two salamander species on the roads or on foot that night. The pics below are just a fraction of what we saw.
Wood Frog
DSCN0230 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
First and only adult Marbled of 2017, so far
DSCN0234 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Wood Frogs in amplexus while on the road. Odd.
DSCN0259 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
I was surprised to see Northern Cricket Frogs out this early.
DSCN0266 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0272 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Bullfrog
DSCN0280 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Spotted Salamander with an orange spot. Found in a roadside tire rut that had filled with water.
DSCN0287 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0285 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Spotted on the road
DSCN0248 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
At another site, Peepers, Southern Leopard Frogs, and Pickerel Frogs were calling from a large wetlands formed by a beaver dam.
Spring Peepers
DSCN0291 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0313 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Leopard Frog eyeshine
DSCN0296 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Southern Leopard Frogs. They seem much darker up here than the ones in Florida.
DSCN0298 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0311 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Bullfrog
DSCN0304 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
A week later (March 7th), it rained again, so we hit a different spot on the western end of the county. Not as much was on the roads, but we did turn up our lifer Uplands Chorus Frog, plus a load of Spotted Salamanders in a vernal pool.
Pickerel Frog
DSCN0347 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Old Box Turtle Shell
DSCN0354 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Spotted Salamander Eggs
DSCN0355 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Marbled Salamander larvae
DSCN0362 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
There were close to a dozen Spotted Salamanders in this vernal pool
DSCN3174 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3177 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3179 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3182 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3184 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3185 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Lifer Uplands Chorus Frog (first and only lifer of the year, so far)
DSCN0374 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
The following weekend was rather chilly, with temps in the 40s. Despite that, I squeezed some herping in up in Alexandria City while attending a geology program and managed to turn up five species.
Despite the temps, this Painted Turtle was swimming around in a pond that Wood Frogs had laid eggs in.
DSCN3142 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Wood Frog Eggs
DSCN0321 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Young Eastern Red-backed Salamander
DSCN0320 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Spring Peeper flipped under a log
DSCN0325 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Spotted Salamander - this was the second one I found deep inside an urban area. The other one was in Arlington City, featured in an earlier post this year.
DSCN0332 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
My first yellow-phase Eastern Redback
DSCN0342 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
A few Saturdays ago, I went to a local spot that is known for Spotted Turtles, but couldn't turn any up. Turns out I should have looked more along the shorelines and reeds than trudging through the muddy waters in my waders. Still hoping to turn one up soon!
Eastern Painted Turtle
DSCN3245 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0421 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0426 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Bullfrog tadpole
DSCN0428 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0430 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Younger Painted
DSCN0437 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0438 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Lots of Painteds and RES were out basking. I don't care much for the latter, though.
DSCN3242 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN3244 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
About two weeks ago, we had a warm day with lots of showers, so I headed out to do some Frog Watch monitoring at two sites. Peepers and American Toads were the dominant choruses, but Pickerel Frogs were heard as well. I saw more American Toads that night than I'd probably seen in my life up until that point. Well over 100 of them, with most being at the second site. There's a trail that parallels a main creek in the area, and I saw a Toad approximately every 20 feet along that trail, which I walked for a good quarter of a mile. In some spots, I could find as many as five toads within close proximity of one another. The below photo is from one such instance, where I decided to have some fun and line the toads up.
DSCN0501 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Some were in amplexus on the trail
DSCN0503 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
And I got to witness my first mating ball!
DSCN0505 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0510 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Pickerel Frogs were calling from the same slough as the toads above
DSCN0507 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Some were even hanging out in the main stem of the creek, which had a noticeable current
DSCN0511 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0514 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
A feeder creek had plenty of rocks in it, which I flipped this Northern Two-lined Salamander under
DSCN0517 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
This Peeper was calling near a Wood Frog pool
DSCN0521 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Wood Frog tadpoles, and their poop?
DSCN0524 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
The other site I hit up that night was a pond in Fairfax City. Peepers, Toads, and Pickerels were all calling. Got a few new records the database that night!
Calling Peeper
DSCN0467 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
The pond was teeming with Bullfrogs
DSCN0475 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0483 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Toad pair
DSCN0484 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
More Peepers
DSCN0477 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
DSCN0494 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr
That's all for now! I hope that next time I post, I have some lifer Turtles, Snakes, and Salamanders to share with you all. I'm on the hunt for Spotted and Wood Turtles, and I'll be going out to the Blue Ridge Mountains the first week of way, with several outings targeting some of the endemic salamanders that liver there. Should be a great trip!
- Matt
Spring, then Winter, then Spring again
Moderator: Scott Waters
- mtratcliffe
- Posts: 533
- Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
- Location: Mt Laurel, NJ
- Josh Holbrook
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Re: Spring, then Winter, then Spring again
Good stuff all around. My 2 year old enjoyed trying to guess the IDs on your stuff (granted it was pretty general - "Frog!" or "Sa-la-man-DER!"
Look me up if you want to when you make it up here. I can show you some of the usual suspects.
Look me up if you want to when you make it up here. I can show you some of the usual suspects.
- mtratcliffe
- Posts: 533
- Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
- Location: Mt Laurel, NJ
Re: Spring, then Winter, then Spring again
Thanks, Josh. My boy likes to look for "Samaners" and enjoys frogs as well. Turtles have always been a favorite, and I think he's starting to enjoy snakes and lizards after seeing a few.Josh Holbrook wrote:Good stuff all around. My 2 year old enjoyed trying to guess the IDs on your stuff (granted it was pretty general - "Frog!" or "Sa-la-man-DER!"
Look me up if you want to when you make it up here. I can show you some of the usual suspects.
Are you still out in the mountains of NC? I do hope to make it down there sometime. I've got a trip to the VA Blue Ridge mountains in 1.5 weeks, and I cannot wait!
- BillMcGighan
- Posts: 2362
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
- Location: Unicoi, TN
Re: Spring, then Winter, then Spring again
Wood Frog larval series is great
- Josh Holbrook
- Posts: 2196
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:11 am
- Location: Western North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Spring, then Winter, then Spring again
Yep. An hour-or-so east of Asheville.mtratcliffe wrote:Thanks, Josh. My boy likes to look for "Samaners" and enjoys frogs as well. Turtles have always been a favorite, and I think he's starting to enjoy snakes and lizards after seeing a few.Josh Holbrook wrote:Good stuff all around. My 2 year old enjoyed trying to guess the IDs on your stuff (granted it was pretty general - "Frog!" or "Sa-la-man-DER!"
Look me up if you want to when you make it up here. I can show you some of the usual suspects.
Are you still out in the mountains of NC? I do hope to make it down there sometime. I've got a trip to the VA Blue Ridge mountains in 1.5 weeks, and I cannot wait!