News, events, and commentary from Jim Andrews and other members of the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas. The most recent posts are shown below; you can find others in our archive. If you’d like to receive these e-mails in your inbox as they are published, please subscribe to our newsletter here.
Herp Update: Timber Rattlesnakes, Fundraiser
February 10, 2026 Presentation on Vermont Timber Rattlesnakes Herpers, I want to let you know about this upcoming presentation by Luke Groff, our Vermont Fish and Wildlife Herpetologist. I hope some of you can make it. Thursday, February 12, 2026, 7 PM to…Herp Update: Spotted Salamanders, Missing Species, “Common” Five-lined Skink, Fundraiser
January 29, 2026 Recent Herp Activity During the recent January thaw, we received two reports of Spotted Salamanders on the move. The photo below of a Spotted Salamander crossing a cross-country ski trail in Warren was taken by Katherine Burdine on January 9.…Herp Update: Fundraiser, Herp Activity, Proposed Wetlands Rule Change – December 18, 2025
December 18, 2025 Our Annual Fundraiser Continues We have raised over $16,000 since we began our annual fundraiser on November 11. This is 64% of our goal of $25,000. Thanks again to all of you who have already donated. We realize that for…Herp Update: Fundraiser, Late Season Activity – December 2, 2025
December 2, 2025 Our Annual Fundraiser has reached the Halfway Point We have raised over $12,000 since we began our annual fundraiser on November 11. This is just short of halfway to our goal of $25,000. Thanks again to all of you who…VT Herp Atlas Annual Fundraiser 2026
November 11, 2025 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ …Herp Update: Printed Atlases Available, Amphibian Migration – October 24, 2025
October 24, 2025 Printed Copies of the 2025 Update of our Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas are now Available! We just picked up copies of our 2025 Update of The Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas from the printer. It is exciting for us…Herp Update: Dead Creek Wildlife Festival, Snake Migration – October 3, 2025
October 2, 2025 The Turtles of Vermont at Dead Creek this Saturday Herpers, tomorrow, Saturday, October 4, I will be talking turtle at the Dead Creek Wildlife Festival in Addison. From 10 to 11 AM, I will be giving a PowerPoint presentation on…Herp Update: Field Trip, Map Turtle, Frog & Cecropia, Habitats & Highways – September 23, 2025
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…Herp Update: Snakes, Salamanders, Maine Herps, and Instagram – September 6, 2025
September 6, 2025 Recent Herp Activity Over the last month, we have received a few reports of Common Watersnakes found quite a distance from water. It seems likely that their normal foraging areas (wetlands) dried out, and they are hiding out while waiting…Herp Update: Interesting Herp Reports, Metamorphosing Frogs, Survey Work – August 6, 2025
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…

