Herp Update: Amphibian Migration, Early Reptile Activity, Upcoming Radio Show – March 25, 2025
Recent Herp Activity
Amphibian Migration Interrupted Again
Although we have not seen ideal migration conditions at convenient times for most of us humans to get out, observe, and help, there has been some early migration late at night. Brian Carter and Leah Farrell checked our Morgan Road crossing here in Salisbury at 10:30 PM on March 17 and reported Blue-spotted Group Salamanders (25), Spotted Salamanders (8), Four-toed Salamanders (10), Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (6), Wood Frogs (4) and a single Spring Peeper during a 30 minute visit. Max Saviano also visited both Morgan Road and the North Street crossing in New Haven that same night and reported many of the same species.
Morgan LaChance and Sarah Rackliff found Green Frogs, Wood Frogs, and Spring Peepers on the same night on Hinesburg Hollow Road in Huntington and Greg Alexopoulos reported Wood Frogs, Green Frogs, and Blue-spotteds on a road search that night in Panton.
Five days later on March 21, Preston Turner visited Morgan Road at 12:15 in the early AM for a brief 15-minute walk through the crossing area and reported Spotteds (7), Blue-spotteds (9), Red-backs (3), a single Four-toed, but no frogs. It was raining and the temperature was 45F, so conditions were good, but the rain did not start here until around 11 PM.
On the 22nd Lynn and Phil Morgan checked some roads in Athens and found both Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs on the road surface. Erin Talmage (Huntington), Kate Kelly (Salisbury) and Birch Andrews (Orwell) reported individual Spring Peepers and/or small numbers of Wood Frogs calling on the warmest afternoons, but no egg-masses have yet been reported.
After these migrations, temperatures dropped and the ground dried out. So, amphibians that had started moving but were still on land, had to get under cover to avoid freezing or drying out. Sadly we received two reports of Spotted Salamanders that did not survive some of those cold and dry spells. Both Lenore Budd (Hinesburg, March 22) and Lisa Lampe (Putney, March 17) found dead adult Spotted Salamanders in the open and away from roads that may have died as a result of freezing, dehydration, or both.
Another early-spring amphibian species reported out and about was a single Northern Leopard Frog found by Helen Linda near the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington. This species moves the opposite direction from most amphibians (from water to land). They move out of the deep water where they spent the winter and move (often overland) to shallow water floodlands to lay their eggs.
Early Reptile Activity
The first snake reported on the surface this spring was a DeKay’s Brownsnake reported on March 16 in Williston by Laura Meyer. Karen Barber reported an Eastern Ribbonsnake on March 18th in Benson and she and her husband Bob saw one again on the 20th along with a Common Gartersnake. Starlett Anderson sent us a photo of a Ring-necked Snake she saw in South Londonderry on March 20th. Snakes usually stay close to their dens in early spring, so that they can retreat back in if the weather cools.
My daughter Birch Andrews reported Painted Turtles basking on the edge of a small pond in Whiting on March 19.
Possible Upcoming Amphibian Activity?
Looking at the 10-day forecast, this coming Saturday night April 5 might have appropriate conditions for amphibian migration. You should watch the weather in your area. If you want to be on our e-mail list for the Morgan Road crossing in Salisbury, you should contact either Heidi Willis (redsprings@MyFairpoint.net) or Barry King (kinglet@TOGETHER.NET).
Upcoming Radio Show
I will be joining Mikaela Lefrak on Vermont Media’s Vermont Edition program next Wednesday, April 2 at noon. This is a call in (or e-mail) program and they and I really appreciate people sending in their questions (or stories). You can call 1-800-639-2211 during the program, or e-mail them at vermontedition@vermontpublic.org either in advance or during the show. I hope to hear from you next Wednesday.
Photos (not from Vermont)
My wife Kris and I recently returned from a vacation in Arizona with some friends, so I thought I would share a couple herp photos from there.
The top photo was taken by Chris Turner. It is a Green Ratsnake. It is not closely related to our local ratsnakes. The bottom photo, taken by my wife Kris, is a Clark’s Spiny Lizard. It was still too early in the season and too cold for most reptiles to be active in Arizona, but the introduced American Bullfrogs (native in Vermont) were calling on the warmest afternoon in Tucson and Pond Sliders (introduced and invasive both here in New England and there) were basking.
