You're welcome!!! I'm currently in NoVA, right along the Potomac River (so not too far from you!). I love huge old snappers. The C&O Canal has some absolute behemoths that are gloriously cranky and fun to watch.
The salamanders in this area tend not to be out in the open so much--all of these were under cover boards placed for the surveys and usually you can find them under logs in moist areas--but in the mountains (all up and down the eastern seaboard), I've seen salamanders skittering over the leaves and hanging out on plants. If you want to see salamanders out and about, the best time to do it is their spring migration (usually February 'round these parts, but it varies… it was late this year, for obvious St. Patrick's Day snowfall reasons)… you'll get to see them out in large numbers and you also will see salamanders that generally hide themselves very well. Also, keep a look out for vernal pools! (= areas that are dry for parts of the year, but have water in them throughout spring and sometimes summer) You'll probably see some cool stuff there: frogs, if nothing else, but larval salamanders will be in there as early as March and I've caught adult spotted & marbled salamanders and eastern newts in them, too.
Bullfrog tadpoles can overwinter--and sometimes stay tadpoles for years (there are some two year-old tadpoles at the park I did my surveys at)--so you're probably seeing multiple generations + this winter & spring have been so cold, ones that would've developed into adults by now haven't yet since their development is temperature-dependent. That, or there was a Ranavirus outbreak, but I like to keep things positive!! lol But the wood frogs, which usually develop in a very short time span, are usually MUCH further along by now. The adults also came out of hibernation late this year, too.
Ask away! I'm happy to help. Though, if you haven't already seen it, Maryland's DNR has a pretty great site, which has field ID tricks and range and stuff for any future herping you may do.
And, re:tree frogs. They're sneaky little buggers, but I bet you anything that you've been hearing them call to each other any time you've been in a forested area. I was down by the river today and I heard both Cope's and common gray tree frogs, but couldn't find a single one. I have a MUCH easier time with pond frogs haha. I tend to go "ear herping" for tree frogs more often than not.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2014-05-10 10:03 pm (UTC)The salamanders in this area tend not to be out in the open so much--all of these were under cover boards placed for the surveys and usually you can find them under logs in moist areas--but in the mountains (all up and down the eastern seaboard), I've seen salamanders skittering over the leaves and hanging out on plants. If you want to see salamanders out and about, the best time to do it is their spring migration (usually February 'round these parts, but it varies… it was late this year, for obvious St. Patrick's Day snowfall reasons)… you'll get to see them out in large numbers and you also will see salamanders that generally hide themselves very well. Also, keep a look out for vernal pools! (= areas that are dry for parts of the year, but have water in them throughout spring and sometimes summer) You'll probably see some cool stuff there: frogs, if nothing else, but larval salamanders will be in there as early as March and I've caught adult spotted & marbled salamanders and eastern newts in them, too.
Bullfrog tadpoles can overwinter--and sometimes stay tadpoles for years (there are some two year-old tadpoles at the park I did my surveys at)--so you're probably seeing multiple generations + this winter & spring have been so cold, ones that would've developed into adults by now haven't yet since their development is temperature-dependent. That, or there was a Ranavirus outbreak, but I like to keep things positive!! lol But the wood frogs, which usually develop in a very short time span, are usually MUCH further along by now. The adults also came out of hibernation late this year, too.
Ask away! I'm happy to help. Though, if you haven't already seen it, Maryland's DNR has a pretty great site, which has field ID tricks and range and stuff for any future herping you may do.
And, re:tree frogs. They're sneaky little buggers, but I bet you anything that you've been hearing them call to each other any time you've been in a forested area. I was down by the river today and I heard both Cope's and common gray tree frogs, but couldn't find a single one. I have a MUCH easier time with pond frogs haha. I tend to go "ear herping" for tree frogs more often than not.
(I wrote you a novel. Oops.)