Dr Steve Sheffield and members of Virginia Tech’s Field Biology Class Mike grgory and myself pose for a group photo after a night of field herping. tonight’s yield included 6 species of salamanders ( Four plethodonts: Eurycea bislineata, Eurycea longicauda longicauda, Desmognathus fuscus, Plethodon cinereus, Ambystoma opacum, and numerous Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens. We also found three species of Anurans (Lithobates): Lithobates palustris, Lithobates sylvaticus, and one from the enus Psuedacris: Pseudacris crucifer.

Above: Two lined and a longtail salamander caught together under same log.
The trip did not focus specifically on herps Other animals as well as plant species were recorded.

above: several Marbled Salamander Larva. Marbled Sals bred in the late summer and as a cnsequnce got a head start on the spotted salamanders. Not a good thing for Spotteds or Wood Frog eggs and larva. But that is nature and always manages to balance itself out.