salamandering

Early spring I get to go out in the seasonal wetland pools and look for frogs, toads, and salamanders. These seasonal wetland pools are called vernal pools and can receive additional protection if they contain certain frogs, toads, and/or salamanders. The first year I did this survey, I couldn't find anything. Ok. So I heard some common frog making like one peep once. It was a big downer. The next year I went out and the very first pool I went to I found frog eggs. I couldn't believe it since I had such bad luck the previous year. But each year gets better and better. Here is some salamander eggs. Looks like a giant phlegm ball but still cool.

Here's a bunch of different salamanders chilling together. The small ones you all probably familiar with if you every moved a log. By the time we were done with our survey, the big guys escaped from this dish and the little ones looked all like "We didn't do anything wrong. It was them."

Now the eggs are hatching...even in my hand and probably by next week they will be little tadpoles and juvenile salamanders swimming around.