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I awoke bright and early to my first day camping in VT. Along with some
newly made friends, I hiked down to a small opening with rotten logs laying all around. Under the first log I saw a
sight that I had seen only once before and I was too young to remember it.
Storeria
dekayi dekayi Northern Brownsnake
After checking the rest of that spot to no avail I headed to the compost pile near the main
camp building. Here I found another adult Garter out getting some sun.
Thamnophis
sirtalis sirtalis Common Gartersnake
After this we all loaded up into the Jeep and the Van and headed off with Jim Andrews, the "guru
of Vermont herps", to do some surveying. At our first stop of the week we met up with some rangers that were associated
with the National Forest that we would be herping in. As we entered the young forest of aspens and birchs we came upon
a small creek that seemed to function as a vernal pool for Wood Frogs. We saw many metamorphs and one adult. After
thoroughly searching this spot we hiked further in to where the forest was more mature and the trees larger and more spread
out. At a nice woodland creek we uncovered some Two-lined Sallies as well as some Redbacks and one very old Northern
Dusky.
Eurycea
bislineata Northern Two-lined Salamander
A gorgeous Ring-necked Snake was also found a little further back into the woods...A new
record for that particular town!
Diadophis
punctatus edwardsii Northern Ring-necked Snake
Our next stop was a really overgrown beaver meadow. Our first finds (besides a Green
Grog) were two adult American Toads; male and female.
Bufo
americanus americanus American Toad
After bushwhacking through the thick brush we made it to a small pond. Upon exploring
the little pond, I slipped a foot into the mud and sank down past my knee. Now that I was much closer to the water I
could see some Newts swimming around in the water.
Notophthalmus
viridescens viridescens Red-spotted Newt
After measuring a few of them we all headed out to the road. Walking the road turned out
to be pretty productive after we flushed up a Wood Frog and a Pickerel Frog...my first in at least 2 years.
Rana
sylvatica Wood Frog
Rana palustris Pickerel Frog
We checked out one more spot, but the most interesting thing in my opinion was a nice big pile
of bear feces.
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