Sarah and I walked out to the Vernal Pool today to see if anything has happened yet.  The short story is:  we have not missed the migration of the Spotted Salamanders!

We heard our first Spring Peepers as we walked out.  And when we got to the pool, we did see a couple of of Wood Frogs who jumped in as we approached,the snapping turtle who overwinters in this pool, and quite a few eggs from the Jefferson-Blue-Spotted Salamanders.

Spring Peeper by Sarah Hatfield

Wood Frog by Tom LeBlanc

Snapping Turtle in the Vernal Pool

Jefferson-Blue-Spotted Salamander

We have had warm weather.  And we have had wet weather.  But we have not yet had warm wet weather.  The Spotted Salamander females are said to run when the temperature is 55 and it’s raining…  Maybe this week?

Spotted Salamanders

Trying to time the migration of spotted salamanders each spring has become an obsession for me.  It just isn’t spring, unless I can (at least try to) go see the salamanders in the vernal pool. Spontaneous Naturalists: be on the ready… It could be this week.