Daylight Adventuring (and a few salamanders at night)

"Everything the light touches is my kingdom"

Rain in the last couple weeks of May brought out many salamanders and got some of them onto the vegetation. One night I put my hand on a tree (to avoid sliding down the hill) and was startled by a salamander under my hand (but probably not as startled as the salamander!). On the same plot, I looked up and was face to face with one on another tree!

We had a class come visit from Highlands, NC and hiked up to Picken's Nose. This overlook is gorgeous.

On the way, we stopped as another overlook that allows us to see the basin where I work:






One rainy afternoon I took a walk up the road and found a box turtle! This little beauty is the third one I've ever seen! He was fairly shy (which is probably good for his survival...).

On this walk I also found the tiniest inchworm!!

We found a large Black Rat Snake behind the dorm:



















After these photos it proceeded to disappear between the siding and the building...

One night we found this beautiful Grey Treefrog on the road!! They have incredible camouflage and can be nearly impossible to see on tree bark, but when startled they flash bright yellow on their legs to district potential predators!

And no blog post by me would be complete with out a couple pictures of salamanders:

Fancy gold on this Plethodon's face

Seal Salamander regrowing a foot! 

To give you an idea of the steepness of our study sites: (also shout out to my beautiful models Kaitlyn and Madaline. Kaitlyn insisted this photo would be how she meets her soul mate....  :D)

That's all for now! More soon!