Sallying Sundays

This week in the Great Lakes State, a prolonged period of rain broke the stubborn drought that had been persisting for a few weeks, bringing with it the possibility of salamanders. After a revival of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Classic Rock on the way to my favorite Michigan spot, I arrived at 1:00 p.m. Upon entering the forest, the fragrance of wet Oak and Hickory leaves permeated the entire atmosphere, and the first rotten log yielded a Lead-backed salamander. From there, the Red-backs kept coming. After about ten Red-backs, two consecutive logs yielded adult Spotted Salamanders (a rarity in June for sure). The salamanders had orange spots on their heads, chunky bodies, and docile and lazy attitudes (aren't Ambystomas the best?). After a few cool fungi, a few more Red-backs, and the national debt in pennies' worth of mosquito, a hillside Maple log revealed a small juvenile Blue-spot. Well, when you combine that with Red-headed Woodpeckers, Cooper's Hawks, and the constant call of the Tree Frogs, a Sunday doesn't get much better than that. In addition, this trip was the first for a salamandering newbie that I took along with me.

I found several yellow-spotteds this year as well. They seem to be rather abundant.