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: Fall Amphibian Migration, Snakes on the Move, Urban Herping, Fiscal Sponsor – October 16, 2024 October 16, 2024 Recent Herp Activity Fall Amphibian Migration Although spring amphibian migrations get the most attention, fall uphill migrations on warm rainy nights can also be quite substantial. Some amphibians that move to wetlands in the spring, move back uphill to feed…
- Herp Update: Snapping Turtles emerging, Unusual Colorations, Snakes Migrating – September 11, 2024 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…
- Herp Update: Recent Herp Activity – August 27, 2024 August 27, 2024 Recent Herp Activity Isolated Reports This week Ethan Bodin sent us the first ever report and photo of a Blue-spotted Salamander (or related hybrid) from Chittenden. Blue-spotteds are fairly common in the Lake Champlain Basin 1000 ft. lower and two…
- Herp Update: Current Herptile Activity, Pittsfield, Priority Towns, Fiscal Sponsor, Upcoming Events – July 25, 2024 July 25, 2024 Current Herptile Activity Only three amphibians are still calling from their breeding ponds. They are American Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, and Mink Frogs. Gray Treefrogs may call occasionally, but they are calling from trees, bushes, porches, decks, and house plants; not…
- Herp Update: Green Frog Eggs, Spotted Turtle, Website, Upcoming Presentation – July 14, 2024 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…
- Herp Update: Metamorphs, First Racer since 2014, Spiny Softshells in Winooski River Delta, Turtles Nesting – June 18, 2024 June 18, 2024 Recent Herp Activity On a June 11 field trip to Sunderland; Kiley Briggs, Kate Kelly, and I found our first young-of-the-year Wood Frogs. Chris Slesar reported young-of-the-year American Toads in West Haven on June 9. These youngsters were fresh eggs…
- Herp Update: Toad Tadpoles, Female Turtles Nesting, Needed Reports – May 30, 2024 May 30, 2024 Recent Herp Activity We have received the first report of American Toad tadpoles hatched out and on the move. Kate Kelly reported them in Hinesburg. At the same time, there are still some American Toads calling and laying eggs.…
- Herp Update: American Toads & Gray Treefrogs – May 22, 2024 May 22, 2024 Recent Herp Activity We have been receiving a flood of reports lately. I suspect it has to do with the amount of recent press coverage we have had. We have been on local television, VPR, and Vermont Digger this spring…
- Herp Update: Ribbonsnake rediscovery, activity, events — May 1, 2024 May 1, 2024 Recent Herp Activity Over the last few nights American Toads have been on the move in much of Vermont. Last night Kate and Molly Kelly joined me on a nighttime road search in Benson and West Haven and I was…
- Herp Update: Activity, Get Data, Radio — April 22, 2024 April 22, 2024 Recent Herp Activity In much of Vermont, the warm and wet weather during the week of April 8-12 generated the bulk of our early-spring-amphibian migration. However, the warm, and dry weather over the past week has generated reports of Common…