Category: turtles

Herp Update: Snakes Moving & Snapping Turtles Emerging

Current Activity Snakes on the Move After the first cold nights of the late summer and early fall, snakes start moving back to their denning areas. Over the last month, we have received reports of all of Vermont’s snake species…

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Herp Update: A Calling Turtle, Caledonia County Work, Salisbury Turtles and Snakes

Current Activity A Calling Turtle At this time of year, most of the evening calling activity is coming from a variety of crickets, grasshoppers, coneheads, katydids, and other insects. We may hear the occasional Green Frog calling from a pond…

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Herp Update: Gray Treefrogs, Nesting Turtles, Bullfrogs

Current Activity Gray Treefrogs Gray Treefrogs have been very active lately. We have received over 60 reports of them calling from the outside walls of houses, decks, grills, and outside furniture since our last Herp Update. The photo below was…

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Herp Update: Field Trip, Map Turtle, Frog & Cecropia, Habitats & Highways – September 23, 2025

Join us this Saturday, September 27, for a Field Trip Herpers, I hope some of you will join us this Saturday, September 27th from 9-12 for a reptile and amphibian field trip. Farm and Wilderness asked us to provide this…

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Herp Update: Interesting Herp Reports, Metamorphosing Frogs, Survey Work – August 6, 2025

Recent Herp Activity We have received some very interesting reports over the last month.  A woman in Benson contacted us to report the Common Five-lined Skinks she has on her property.  Common Five-lined Skinks are Vermont’s only native lizard, and all…

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Herp Update: Turtle Reports, Frogs Metamorphosing, Frogs Calling – July 9, 2025

Recent Herp Activity The reports of nesting turtles have almost completely ended but people are still reporting turtles seen in, or basking near, water.  In the last week we have received photos of Vermont Wood Turtles, Spiny Softshells, Northern Map…

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Herp Update: Turtles, Gray Treefrogs, Mink Frogs, Survey Work – June 17, 2025

Recent Herp Activity Over the last couple weeks, we have received a flood of reports of turtles of almost every Vermont species on land, digging nests, and laying eggs. I suspect a statewide mailing from VT Fish & Wildlife encouraging…

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Herp Update: Salamanders, Turtles, Gray Treefrogs – May 23, 2025

A small turtle with a red belly is held between two fingers

Recent Herp Activity With the recent cold and rainy weather we have concentrated our field surveys on our three saturated-soil salamanders (Spring, N. Dusky, and N. Two-lined in headwater streams and seepages, and Spotted Salamanders in ponds and vernal pools.…

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Herp Update: Snapping Turtles emerging, Unusual Colorations, Snakes Migrating – September 11, 2024

Recent Herp Activity Snapping Turtles are hatching We have received a number of reports recently from landowners who have young Snapping Turtles emerging from underground nests in their lawns and gardens. The photo of the fourteen baby snappers below was…

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Herp Update: Green Frog Eggs, Spotted Turtle, Website, Upcoming Presentation – July 14, 2024

Recent Herp Activity People are now reporting sightings of Green Frog eggs.  Green Frogs deposit a film of eggs on the surface of the water (see photos below).  Since they deposit their eggs so late in the season, the water…

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