It's been a while since I posted on here, and I haven't gone through my recent photos yet, so I thought I would post some stuff from earlier this year. Specifically, this is an account of a beautiful day I spent in Eastern Kentucky herping with my friend Kevin Hucheson (another forum member) and his dad.
We began the day by stopping at a productive road cut on the way to our destination:
Eastern Kentucky Road Cut by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrNormally, this cut is a reliable spot for copperheads, worm snakes, ringneck snakes, and milk snakes. However, on this day we were worried we wouldn't find anything at all; the temperature was in the high 50s, and the sky was mostly cloudy. Luckily, a few cold and torpid snakes made their appearance.
Worm snake (you can tell I spent about 10 seconds trying to get a photo):
Worm Snake by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrMilk snake (once again, poor photo attempt):
Eastern Milk Snake by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrCopperhead:
Northern Copperhead by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrA fence lizard was also found here:
Fence Lizard by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrFrom there, we moved on to an abandoned building on a forested ridge close to our destination. We have visited this building twice before, and laid out a couple sheets of tin as well as two old wooden doors. Though we have only found lizards under the AC so far, we have seen kingsnake sheds in the surrounding clearing. On this morning, the sun came out just as we were entering the clearing, and we happened upon this kingsnake out sunning:
Black Kingsnake by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Black Kingsnake by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrAfter this neat find, we checked our AC without success. On the way out of the clearing, we found the surprise of the day, a baby water snake. As I said before, this clearing is on top of a ridge; there is no major water body within almost a mile!
Northern Water Snake by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrAfter that, we moved on to our destination, which may be my favorite place in the state. At this location, a large stream cuts a 150 foot deep gorge through layers of sandstone and limestone. Unlike many gorges of its size in eastern Kentucky, this gorge is barely half a mile wide at the widest; in most places you can see from wall to wall! Within the gorge is a cool, moist environment perfect for salamanders. Most of the gorge is forested with hemlock and rhododendron; fallen boulders and muddy seeps abound.
We began by parking where a small road cuts through the gorge, and hiking downstream to where a small tributary stream feeds in. In the first muddy seep we came to, we found a couple of Allegheny mountain dusky salamanders:
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrThis species's distribution is extremely spotty and disjunct in Eastern Kentucky, and it is considered rare outside the southeast corner of the state. However, in this gorge it is the most common salamander species, proving far more common than the seal and two-lined salamanders usually prevalent in Eastern Kentucky.
Next, under some rotting logs, we ran into a couple slimy salamanders:
Northern Slimy Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrWe aren't entirely sure about this one; it could be either a slimy salamander or the very similar cumberland plateau salamander:
Unidentified Plethodon Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrThe best way to tell the difference is to check the salamander's chin. In theory, cumberland plateau salamanders should have an all white chin, and slimies should have an all black chin. This salamander appeared to have a white chin with some dark pigment at the base. What do you guys think?
Unidentified Plethodon Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrAs we walked through the woods, we also ran into several red efts. We usually only see these active on the surface after rains, but since it is so moist in this gorge, it seems they are easily found here even on sunny days.
Red Eft by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrOnce we reached the tributary stream, we ran into the second most common salamander in the gorge - the longtail salamander:
Longtail Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrNormally these guys show up literally everywhere in this gorge: along the main stream, in tributaries, under cover objects in the woods, on sandstone boulders, along the cliffs, in seeps, etc. On this day, we saw far fewer than usual, but the few we saw were quite stunning.
Longtail Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrNear where we found the longtail salamander, I spotted a tiny hatchling green salamander in a sandstone boulder. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph it in situ, and I didn't want to risk hurting it, so I didn't try to coax it out of its crack.
We continued to see many mountain dusky salamanders as we followed the tributary upstream. Though many individuals are a dull brown color, this species can exhibit remarkable variation.
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrBased on past visits, we have found this stream to be a good place for spring salamanders, one of my favorite species. I quickly flipped up a young adult, only to watch it slither down a hole. Somewhat aggravated, we continued on in search of another. Along the way, we found the only two-lined salamander of the day. Funny how this species is ubiquitous almost everywhere in eastern Kentucky, but here it is one of the rarest species.
Southern Two-Lined Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrWe were encouraged by the presence of many spring salamander larvae, including this monster:
Spring Salamander Larva by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrEventually, we reached the point where the tributary first enters the gorge, cascading down a series of waterfalls. We decided to explore around here a bit.
The lowermost waterfall:
Eastern Kentucky Cascade by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrView from the top, looking down the tributary:
Eastern Kentucky Gorge by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrIn this area, we found a couple seal salamanders. Normally this species is very common in almost any eastern Kentucky stream, but in this gorge it seems to be limited to the splash zones of waterfalls.
Seal Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrAfter that, we headed back down towards the main stream. Along the way back, Kevin decided to check out a small seep we had passed by on the way up, where he found a big, gorgeous spring salamander. Given my level of competence, the moment he handed it to me I managed to let it escape under a large boulder!
I continued to search for another spring salamander as we headed back down the tributary, and while I was unsuccessful, I did find the day's only northern dusky salamander. This is yet another species which is common almost everywhere except this gorge.
Northern Dusky Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrAs we neared the main stream, I decided to lift up the rock I found the first spring salamander under, just to see if I could get a glimpse of it again. To my surprise, it had moved to a portion of the rock far from its burrow. I caught this one without letting it escape under a boulder, and I even managed to take some mediocre photos:
Kentucky Spring Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrAfter that, we waded back up the stream to our car, and headed to our next site.
Kevin and his dad, Bruce, on their way upstream:
Eastern Kentucky Stream by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrOur next spot was a location at the foot of the continuous cliff line along the north side of the gorge. This spot is very interesting to us, because the wet crevices here harbor a large population of cumberland plateau salamanders. In about 30 minutes, we found around 10 individuals! Apart from the white chin, this species differs from slimy salamanders in that it has less spotting on the tail, and it has a more flattened head and a thinner tail. though its habitat preferences are not well understood, it seems to like areas with moist rock outcrops or rock faces. This population seems to live exclusively in crevices.
Cumberland Plateau Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Cumberland Plateau Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Cumberland Plateau Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Cumberland Plateau Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrOne individual in situ:
Cumberland Plateau Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrShowing the white chin:
Cumberland Plateau Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrMy hasty attempt at a herp-in-habitat shot:
Cumberland Plateau Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrDuring our search for cumberland plateau salamanders, we also found this green salamander deep in a crevice:
Green Salamander by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrAnd that concludes our day. I'll leave you all with some photos of the stunning scenery of the gorge. These pictures do not do the place justice!
Eastern Kentucky Hillside by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Eastern Kentucky Stream by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Eastern Kentucky Waterfall by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Eastern Kentucky Gorge by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on Flickr
Eastern Kentucky Stream by Ananth Miller-Murthy, on FlickrHope you all have seen some beautiful places this year, and not to mention, some interesting herps.
-Ananth
