March 'Manders
After a long month of cold weather in March it was finally time to step back outside in search for amphibians on March 27th. With heavy rains and higher temperatures in the forecast it was inevitable that the salamanders would finally be starting their migrations. Amphibian migrations take place every spring with different species moving at different times. Each species will travel from their overwintering habitat to the vernal pools that fill up with water in the spring from snow melt and rainfall. Usually the earliest arrivals are Jefferson Salamanders who will often enter these pools as soon as there is a large enough gap between the ice and the edge of the water for them to slip under. In the last few days of March I have managed to witness the Jefferson Salamanders migrating through the forest floor, across ice, and swimming and breeding within the vernal pools they occupy. Ambystoma jeffersonianum Ambystoma jeffersonianum Along with these Jefferson Salaman...