It's up to 33° and windy! Let's herp! 1-25-2014

It has been bone chilling cold this week. All we have to show for ourselves are chilled bones. So when we noticed it was a balmy 33° on Saturday just before noon, we decided to herp! Of course it was damn cold and windy as hell, but perhaps a few Two-Lined Salamander larvae would be up.

We got to our favorite Pond in Norfolk County a little bit after noon and it was cold. Had I already mentioned that? Well, it was.


We got to a known 2-Lined spot and started sifting...


Before too long, we found a nice chubby larvae!


The water was cutting through the snow, going way back towards a vernal area that should be hoppin' in a few months!


This is a spring. Evidently, someone built up this spout ages ago and the water is said to be super yummy. It will be good to remember it come warmer weather!


I was flipping in the yummy stream...

when I said "Arrrgh"! I had seen a teeny tiny larvae skittering around but couldn't coax him into the observation tank! It was like 3/4" long!! I dug around and finally found him again and scooped him up!

Much to my surprise, there was an even smaller one in the tank with him!


I had never seen them that small! That wee guy is about 1/2" long!!!

So, we picked up and headed over to the other 2-Lined place further up the trail. Except, with everything looking different under a shroud of snow, we kinda wound up not where we thought we were heading. We weren't lost, but we had misplaced our "knowing where we are"-ness.

BUT, we stumbled upon (not into) a clean vernal pond that was hitherto unknown by us. This thing probably stays filled until summer time.


It is kind of in between our two Marbled Salamander sightings over the years. Could it be where that Threatened Species' larvae hang out? More research is needed, but having now discovered this general area, we might be on the right track.

We got to the other 2-Lined place and struck out but the water that flows there might come from the "new vernal" spot...


So, we did what we set out to do... we herped and found some Two-Lined Salamander larvae! Plus, a new spot of interest that isn't too far off our normal jaunt in this area! Win win!! All in just two frigid hours!

Man, I sure wish we could herp in some warm weather soon! Like, very soon!