Michigan Herp Trips

September & October 2008: Herping around CMU

After going to a community college, I transferred to Central Michigan Univsersity to begin my third year of school. After becoming so used to my spots near my home in southeast Michigan, it's been hard to find some new area. But after getting into routine with my classes, I finally found some time to get out and find some areas near my campus. Earlier this week, myself and a few members of Central Michigan's herpetological society to a local park to see what we could turn up. The usual suspects turned up first...

Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Plethodon cinereus

After talking with Dr. James Gillingham; a state herpetologist and head of the biology dept. at CMU, we headed to some of the dune areas of the park with hopes of turning up a Hognose Snake. Although no hogs showed up, we did find a few things. First up was this Fowler's Toad.

Fowler's Toad - Bufo fowleri

This nice looking Garter also turned up..

Eastern Garter Snake - Thamnophis sirtalis

As the evening progressed, we finally found a nice vernal pond within the park. Wood Frogs, both adults and recent metamorphs, were EVERYWHERE. I'm sure all of you can relate to every time you take a step, 10-15 of them scatter in front of you.

Vernal Pool

Wood Frog - Rana sylvatica

Several of these guys showed up as well.

Spring Peeper - Pseudacris crucifer

I went out with one of my friends to a CMU research site which has quite a diversity of herpetofauna. Our goals for the night were to find some salamanders. So we headed out for a half hour drive and arrived in the late afternoon. This area was so pristine and untouched compared to the park I visited earlier in the week. The trails were very uneven and unkept and everything was just left as nature intended it. My friend Alex and I decided to take the longest trail to see what kind of habitats it meandered through.

Our destination was a specific spot in the woodland where a spring seep leaks into a low area and creates perfect habitat for salamanders, particularly Four-toed's. It took us a good hour and a half to get to the spot, but we were excited to begin searching it. It looked really promising.

More hoards of Wood Frogs were in this area, I found this individual to be really attractive.

Wood Frog - Rana sylvatica

We flipped and flipped, but no Hemidactylium made an appearance. Not too surprising considering its not the right time of year for them. But we did happen to come across several Ambystomatids.

Spotted Salamander - Ambystoma maculatum

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it down for southern Illinois this fall. But nonetheless, I decided to go out one afternoon to see if some salamanders and snakes could be found. My friend Stephanie; joining me for her first field herping experience, and some fellow members of the CMU herp society came along as well. The weather was clear and sunny, with temps in the low 60s. It was a beauitful morning.

It didn't take long to turn up our first finds of the day. We found quite a few Ambystoma salamanders, both Spotteds, Blue-spotteds and other inidividuals showing hybrid charachteristics.

Stephanie with a Big Hybrid Salamander

Hybrid Salamander - Ambystoma platineum

Spotted Salamander - Ambystoma maculatum

After photographing a few individuals, we continued on. Along the way, we came across a rare ecosystem in Michigan, hillside prairie. These unique ecosystems are tough to come by and are essential for certain reptile species. We decided to check it out, and were rewarded with two snakes, a very large garter, and a little juvie ribbon snake.

Hillside Prairie

Eastern Garter Snake - Thamnophis sirtalis

Northern Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis

We continued on, and made our way to the marshlands in the back of the preserve. There was a particular area we were going to, a spring fed seepage which creates perfect habitat for Four-toed Salamanders.

Trail through the Marshlands

We finally reached our spot. It wasn't the right time of year, but we still liked our chances of finding some sals. Here's a shot of the area.

Spring Fed Seep - Four-toed Salamander Habitat

We flipped several logs with no luck but Redbacks. Near the back of the area, I found a large railroad tie that had been tossed into the seepage. I flipped it and was instantly greeted with 5 or 6 salamanders. Most of them were Redbacks, but one looked different. Then I realized what it was, a FOUR-TOED SALAMANDER!!! I yelled for the group to come see the cool little animal, we spent about 20 minutes photographing the little guy. Overall, it was a great day with some friends in the field.

Four-toed Salamander - Hemidactylium scutatum

On the afternoon of October the 5th, I got out for a few hours with my roommates John & Brett. Both had seen Redbacks before, but wanted to see some bigger salamanders. So I took them out to a local spot where a lot of Ambystomatids can be found. The guys were excited, so we parked and began our search.

We started off by taking a short trail which meanders through some mature deciduous woodlands. The rolling hills create great low points for water to collect, thus creating vernal pools which serve as salamander habitat. It can be particularly beautiful at this time of the year as the colors begin to change.

Arborvitae Trail - Neithercut Woodland

Reaching for the Heavens...

We finally found a decent vernal pool which still had a little water in it. We began flipping logs and rocks, and we found all sorts of cool stuff. We found this nice pair of Anurans first.

Spring Peeper - Pseudacris crucifer

Wood Frog - Rana sylvatica

The highlight of the day was this drop-dead gorgeous salamander. This has to be the most attractive Blue-spotted Salamander I've seen in my liftime.

Blue-spotted Salamander - Ambystoma laterale

A few friends and I continued to make trips out to the woodland once a week or so to see what we could turn up, it seemed like each and every trip we would find something new out at Neithercut. On one particular outing, my friend Alex and I fond some cool amphibian species. We flipped these next three species under the same rock, it was a pretty cool little flip. The newt was a first for us at Neithercut!

Eastern Newt - Notophthalmus viridescens

Blue-spotted Salamander - Ambystoma laterale

Four-toed Salamander - Hemidactylium scutatum

On CMU's homecomign weekend, my parents visited for the football game. But because it was a 4 o'clock kickoff, we had some time to kill, so I took my dad out to look for some snakes and such. It was a beautiful October day, sunny and in the 70s. We liked our chances and seeing snakes. The sun illuminated to colorful autumn landscape very well.

Quiet Creek at Neithercut

We found tons of salamanders as usual, redbacks, blue-spots, and spotteds.

My Dad Photographing a Blue-spotted Salamander

Blue-spotted Salamander - Ambystoma laterale

With temperatures being as warm as they were, we knew some snakes would be out on the move. We walked a trail near a marsh and hoped we would turn up a few Ribbon snakes, we weren't disappointed.

Northern Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis

Me with the Ribbon Snake

Eastern Garter Snake - Thamnophis sirtalis

Northern Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis

It was great being able to see some cool herps with my dad. A few days later my friend alex and I got out and finally broke alex's snake curse when he spotted this nice ribbon on the move.

Northern Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis

We also spotted this awesome Red-tailed Hawk eating a chipmunk.

Leftovers of the Little Chipmunk...Hawks & Chipmunks don't mix!

Red-tailed Hawk

And finally on October 22nd, we made one last trip which would be the last field trip of the year. Our area had been hit with some heavy rain for three days, so our chances at seeing some salamanders were superb. I headed out with my good friends Meghan & Stephanie and took our chances.

We only had about an hour and a half to kill, but what appened in that time frame was something truely remarkable. We were able to find all five of the salamander species that inhabit this area, it was incredible! Of course, Redbacks were plentiful as always.

Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Plethodon cinereus cinereus

Ambystomatids were found as well. What was really interesting was that the Blue-spotted Salamanders in this area seem to outnumber redbacks, its something I've never seen anywhere else before.

Steph & Me Cleaning a Salamander for Photos

Blue-spotted Salamander - Ambystoma laterale

We found this interesting salamander as well. I believe it to be a hybrid individual because it shows charachteristics of Ambystoma jefforsonianum, which is common in hybrid individuals.

Hybrid Salamander - Ambystoma platineum

We made our way towards an area where many newts and four-toed salamanders had been found, and sure enough both species made an apprearance.

A Fallen Leaf's View

Eastern Newt - Notophthalmus viridescens

Megs & Me Getting Ready to Photo a Four-toed Salamander

Four-toed Salamander - Hemidactylium scutatum

It was a fitting end to to a great year in the field. 2008 left me with some memories I'll never forget, I can only hope 2009 will bring the same...

Great Times with Good Friends

Sunset in the Woodland

Since I was back home I went and visited the Indian Springs Metropark where I've posted several Ambystomatids in the past. While visiting the nature center at the park, I was pleased to see that Steve was in this afternoon. Steve knows me relatively well and immediately told me that they have been finding tiger salamanders as of late near a vernal pond I haven't been to at the park. In many visits, the only Ambsystoma species I've seen have been maculatum & laterale, but I've known Tigers are found in the park. Steve was nice enough to show me to the area.

The Nature Center

Along the way to the vernal pool, we stopped by a spring fed seepage to see if any Hemidactylium were under foraging under logs. Unforunately, all we found was a few redbacks.

Spring Fed Seepage - Four-toed Salamander Habitat

Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Plethodon cinereus cinereus

We reached our destination finally, and Steve showed me the large logs under which the Tigers have been found.

Vernal Pool

The large logs were within 20 yards of the pool...When we flipped the largest of the three logs, I was glad to see a large chunky body underneath.

Eastern Tiger Salamander - Ambystoma tigrinum

On halloweeen, a large group of friends and I went back to an area we frequently visit near CMU. Several of the people in the group had never been field herping before. With weather in the 60s, we were hoping to find a few snakes for the girls to see. We arrived in the late afternoon and set out to see what we could turn up.

One Word. Beautiful.

Neithercut Woodland - Lots of Places for Salamanders to Hide

We flipped tons of salamanders within the first ten minutes or so. This individual was the biggest we found, and was also the most attractive.

Blue-spotted Salamander - Ambystoma laterale

We walked a little further until we came across a hillside near a marsh. The sun was hitting the hillside perfectly and on top of that my friend John came across a collapsed shed that had left lots of tin scattered on the ground. I marked it on my GPS with hopes it would be a good spot, and as it turned out, the spot was jackpot.