No party like an Ambystoma party

[kevin h]

Hey guys, here are some local Ambystoma I turned up earlier this month enjoy.

Jefferson Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

Spotted Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

Streamside Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

Jefferson Salamander by Kevin Hutcheson, on Flickr

Now we wait for spring...

Kevin.

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Thanks for that! On top of my list if I make it back to the US some day ...!

[the_cw1]

Do you have advice for finding them? I'm in SW Michigan and the season won't start for a few weeks yet--nights are around 11f now--but I know I want a A. maculatum this spring. I know checking at night is a good idea during warm rains *and* I know you gotta go near vernals. Any other specific advice?

[kevin h]

You're very much welcome Jeroen! I'm glad you liked it, thanks!

Derek, you're right about the rainy nights. That's by far the best way to find some either by cruising, hiking or shining the ponds due to the minimal impact on the salamander's life. That last method you might be able to do on a dry night as well. You could also probably dipnet them in the ponds but I wouldn't try this cause it would potentially damage egg masses. Once you know they're breeding, flipping cover within 100 feet of the breeding spot also works often and is often how I see them.

[the_cw1]

Thanks for the response. Official records of A. Maculatum are hard to come by in SW Michigan so I am going to specifically target them for data purposes.