Spermataphores  attached to leaves at the bottom of this pool left behind by the male spotted salamander. Both male and female salamanders perform a courtship ritual where the male tries to tempt the female to obtain his spermataphore  in the hopes of fertilizing her eggs.

Close up of the spermataphore

Egg Mass 

This wetland borders the the edge between the woodlands and open meadow.  It doesn’t qulify as a vernal pool given it appears to have some current. However evidence of the types of animlas that utilize vernal pools for their life cycles are present.

Margo and I went out today to check on some vernal pools in the flood plain.  This pool had several large masses of wood frog tadpoles and eggs which  is an indication of healthy habitat.

One of our largest salamanders in our area. The spotted on the left was crawling across neuman road during a warm,early spring rain. During and after these heavy rains, hundreds will travel to nearby temporary bodies of water called vernal pools to mate.  Unfortunately many are killed by automobiles as they make their way across the road to get to these pools.

The spotted on the right was caught in a rotting stump during the month of June. This one was photographed in its natural habitat along the rail road tracks just west of town

This is a Red Eft or an immature terrestrial stage of the Adult Red Spotted Newt.   This specimen was observed conspicuously out in the open along Johnny Moore Creek in Balmoral after a heavy rain.