2021 | Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas

Year: 2021

Herp Update: July 30 – field trips, greensnake pigmentation

Posted on July 30, 2021 by

Herpers, with more and more of us being fully vaccinated, Herp Atlas field trips have begun again in earnest. We have provided three in the past week. We document all the herptiles found on these trips and add them to…

Herp update: July 2 – Swimming with snapping turtles

Posted on July 2, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in updates

Herpers, I occasionally receive communications from people nervous about swimming in a pond, lake, or river that has Snapping Turtles in it. I try to reassure them that swimming with snappers is both safe and common. My standard line is…

Tagged with: safety, snapping turtles, swimming, turtles

Herp Update: Jun 28 – Late Calling Frogs

Posted on June 28, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in updates

Late Calling Frogs Herpers, although Wood Frogs and Northern Leopard Frogs finished calling weeks ago, some relatively common species such as Gray Treefrogs, American Bullfrogs, and Green Frogs are still calling. However, in addition to the more common species, I…

Herp Update: June 5 – Gray Treefrogs, New Finds

Posted on June 5, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in updates

Gray Treefrogs on the move: Herpers, at my home here in Salisbury, I noticed that the Gray Treefrogs had moved to their breeding ponds and were calling last night. During warm humid days spring through fall, you can hear the…

Herp Update: migration, records, oddities – April 25, 2021

Posted on April 25, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in frogs, herping, salamander, snakes, updates

Amphibian Migration I see a bunch of showers in the forecast for later this week, but the actual amount of rain forecast is minimal and the chance of showers in any one place is pretty low. If the ground and…

Tagged with: frogs, gartersnake, herping, snakes, spring, wood frog

Herp Update: Frogs Calling, Egg Masses, Skink – April 9, 2021

Posted on April 9, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in amphibians, frogs, herping, lizards, salamander, updates

Herpers, here in the Lake Champlain Basin I have been hearing lots of Northern Leopard Frogs calling from the floodplains of Otter Creek. We have received reports of calling Wood Frogs now from way up in Montgomery and Jay, and…

Tagged with: egg mass, salamanders, skink, spotted

Herp Update: frozen Gartersnake – April 3, 2021

Posted on April 3, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in event, snakes, updates

Herpers, one of the more interesting reports to come in over the last two days was this report and photo from Ken Hatch of a Common Gartersnake frozen into a thin layer of ice in Addison. Ken reported: “I found…

Tagged with: call-in, garter snake, interview, migration, radio

Herp Update: Safety, salamander crossings – March 27, 2021

Posted on March 27, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in conservation, herping, research, road search, updates

Herpers, in portions of the Lake Champlain Basin everything came together last night. Kate Kelly and I were investigating some previously unvisited locations in Rutland County. On our return we swung by two crossing sites near Fern Lake in Leicester…

Tagged with: crossing zone, migration, road search, safety, spring

Herp Update: March 4 – watersnakes on the move

Posted on March 4, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in updates

The warm weather last week brought Common Watersnakes out of their dens at at least two locations. Both dens were located near open seeps and apparently were shallow and heated by the ground water (cold but above freezing). For some…

Herp Update: indoors, in the snow, and funding request – February 25, 2021

Posted on February 25, 2021 by

Jim Andrews Posted in amphibians, herping, support, updates

Herpers, as you would expect herp reports at this time of year have been few and far between, but we did receive a photo of the Gray Tree Frog in Bridport that came in with a house plant. The frog…