Michigan Herping early Fall

Neotenic_Jaymes

Neotenic_Jaymes

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Had a blast herping yesterday. I'm getting a head start on fall salamanders. The temperature was 59-62 degrees, even colder in the woods. I had tons a luck not to mention it rained the night before. I came across tons of Plethodon cinereus, Ambystoma laterale, Notophthalmus louisianensis efts and adults. The big find was a Ambystoma tigrinum. I'm still ecstatic about the find. Other big find was a baby Blue Racer/Coluber constrictor foxi.
 

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Looks like an awesome day out in the field!! That Tiger is beautiful!
 
I hate to be picky, Jaymes, but I'm pretty sure those are N.v.v, not N.v.l.
 
Kaysie said:
I hate to be picky, Jaymes, but I'm pretty sure those are N.v.v, not N.v.l.
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Hmm.... I won't disagree with you. But most of the efts and even adults have no red spotting or very little red spotting. People have said most of Michigan Eastern Newts were hybrids of N.v.v and N.v.l. I'm just glad I found them!
 
Went out herping with Jaymes today. We had a great time (Even though I got us lost a bout 50 times) . We found tons of redbacks and blue spotteds. Sadly, to tigers :(
 
If you found efts, they're not N.v.l. They skip the eft stage, most of the time. But N.v. complex in Michigan is a mess.

I'm back in Michigan for the time being, so hit me up if you wanna come back to my side of the state and do some herping. It's good snake weather.
 
Neotenic_Jaymes said:
Hmm.... I won't disagree with you. But most of the efts and even adults have no red spotting or very little red spotting. People have said most of Michigan Eastern Newts were hybrids of N.v.v and N.v.l. I'm just glad I found them!
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i tell you what, ive been out herping alot since i was a kid, and ive found 0 newts. my friend has found a few, but its rare. seems all i ever find is redbacked, bluespotted, and on occasion, a spotted salamander. where do you go? if i may ask, of course.
 
Don't take this offensively, but we don't allow locality data to be posted on the forum. Jaymes is allowed to give you information in private, but most herpers are pretty protective of their sites and will only take people there when they've proven trustworthy. It took years, and hundreds of axolotl larvae, before I trusted Jaymes enough to take him to any of my sites! :)
 
Kaysie said:
Don't take this offensively, but we don't allow locality data to be posted on the forum. Jaymes is allowed to give you information in private, but most herpers are pretty protective of their sites and will only take people there when they've proven trustworthy. It took years, and hundreds of axolotl larvae, before I trusted Jaymes enough to take him to any of my sites! :)
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oh no no, i understand completely and apologize. i just have been out and about and havnt found anything unique. i wondered if it was just my area or if im looking in the wrong places. i didnt think i was gonna go to those woods, just getting an idea.

i apologize if i overstepped boundaries.
 
It's okay. We're just pretty sensitive about that stuff on this board. You might not be a poacher or up to any shady business, but you never know who else is reading these threads.

Where are you located in the state? I've never found Notos north of ... Lansing really. But I've never herped much in the northern part of the state, at least for sallies. Found lots of cool species in the northern lower: green snakes, wood turtles, massasaugas!

The species you're finding are pretty common. Michigan's not a hot-spot for caudate diversity, so don't be discouraged. The most effective way I've ever used to find notos is to set out minnow traps (which I did for research, NOT as a hobbyist).
 
Wow, a snake, a sally, a slug with eggs, centipedes, beetle larvae...that´s a rock i´d like to turn!
Is that some species of garter snake? Whatever it is, it´s an adorable little thing.
 
Rodrigo, it's a blue racer, Coluber constrictor foxi, which is neither a constrictor, or foxy. They are mean as... well, as a snake. I've never seen one in the wild that wasn't attached at the teeth to someone's flesh.
 
Ah! Thanx for the correction. I´ve heard of racers and curiously enough every video i´ve seen of them showed a furious snake who clearly didn´t like humans. That´s my kind of snake, i like them fierce! They have an iberian equivalent, Malpolon monspesulanus, which is also a pretty evil thing. Even the evil eyes are similar.
Some of those racers are really gorgeous animals, you have quality herping there :)
 
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Kaysie said:
It's okay. We're just pretty sensitive about that stuff on this board. You might not be a poacher or up to any shady business, but you never know who else is reading these threads.

Where are you located in the state? I've never found Notos north of ... Lansing really. But I've never herped much in the northern part of the state, at least for sallies. Found lots of cool species in the northern lower: green snakes, wood turtles, massasaugas!

The species you're finding are pretty common. Michigan's not a hot-spot for caudate diversity, so don't be discouraged. The most effective way I've ever used to find notos is to set out minnow traps (which I did for research, NOT as a hobbyist).
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lapeer county, mainly the southern part. my friends have found newts... i just havnt. clearly, im looking in the wrong spots.
 
I'm not terribly familiar with that area of the state, I'm sorry to say. Jaymes might be of a little more help there. But my best advice is to look for larger bodies of water. Not quite lake-size, but larger ponds, preferably ones that aren't stocked with game fish and don't completely dry out in the summer. In the spring, you'll find notos in the shallow water where they breed. In the summer, they retreat to deeper water, where it's cooler. In early fall (~August), efts will be emerging.
 
theJATM said:
lapeer county, mainly the southern part. my friends have found newts... i just havnt. clearly, im looking in the wrong spots.
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Actually I've heard a lot of good things about Lapeer County as far as herps. If I was you I'd aim for large permanent ponds. I've only fond Eastern Newts in or around permanent ponds in Michigan. You might just be on the outside of their habitat range.
 
a blue snake and a blue sal under the same rock..o bliss..
 
Neotenic_Jaymes said:
Actually I've heard a lot of good things about Lapeer County as far as herps. If I was you I'd aim for large permanent ponds. I've only fond Eastern Newts in or around permanent ponds in Michigan. You might just be on the outside of their habitat range.
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i think im just looking in the wrong spots. ive tried state land with lakes surrounded by woods. i know of a spot where a friend found some efts, sadly thats private property now (well, was then, just undeveloped) but im not willing to trespass.
 
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    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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