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spent a pleasant cool day last week in northwest Indiana looking for salamanders. Unseasonably cold weather has slowed the start of my herping season by about three weeks this year but now it is in full swing. The early season is dominated by salamanders, frogs and other amphibians as they not only tolerate but PREFER cool, damp temperatures; a far cry from the weather that most people associate with reptiles and amphibians. In an effort to keep the science class short, here are a few of the critters we turned up.
red backed salamanders. Very common in the fen we were searching, otherwise rare around here.
Blue spotted salamander. Very common throughout Chicagoland/NW Indiana. This is by far the best pose I've EVER gotten out of one of these, they are notoriously difficult to direct. Mostly they just lay flat on their bellies, chin and all, and look dead. This is the first shot I've ever taken where I wished I had a tripod, as I'd like a bit more depth of field. Maybe there is a spot in the bag for one, after all.
An exciting find for me, and my first lifer of the year (heard before but not seen!!), the wood frog.
making next year's batch
This year I've scaled back my work hours in order to enjoy the summer and plan the Next Big Thing as far as employment is concerned. With any luck I will get plenty of field time; the last two years combined I've only shot about 8000 frames, which is usually what I shoot in just three or four months. So, fingers are crossed and hopefully I'll be around here a lot more. hope you enjoyed!
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