Herp Update: Lizards, Migration, Presentation – March 2, 2025

Recent Herp Activity

Southern Alligator Lizard

Allissa Shethar sent this photo of a Southern Alligator Lizard found by her son Sasha F in Bridport last week. He found it in his laundry basket after driving across country from California. The square scales are a good field mark for Alligator Lizards.

Many lizards are moved long distances as stowaways on RVs, boats, plants, mulch, building materials, and many other items. Most non-native lizards won’t survive our cold winters. That said, at least one non-native lizard appears to have established a population inside a heated warehouse in Middlebury.

The lizard below has been adopted as a pet.

Spring Amphibian Migration Coming Soon

The beginning of our spring amphibian migration is probably only a few weeks away. The weather forecast for this Wednesday looks good for amphibian migration with rain forecast during the day and nighttime temperatures well above freezing. However, I suspect most of us still have too much snow and the ground and the breeding sites are not yet thawing out. Amphibians will move over snow, but usually there are patches of open ground, and some open water in the ponds, marshes, and vernal pools before they start moving. It won’t be long though.

If you do get out to look, let us know what you find.

Presentation, Monday, March 3 in Brattleboro

Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center in Brattleboro has invited me to give a presentation this Monday night at 6:30 PM at the Brattleboro Library. The presentation is free and open to the public. I hope you can join us.