Nowicki418
New member
Around here nights have been getting cold. A few nights ago it was a little warmer than the last few days and we even got a decent amount of rain in the evening. A relative owns a large piece of property used for hunting. This area is surounded with hunting properties so the wilderness is pretty untouched. Its a marshy area that used to be one huge field. There are pockets of trees and forrest all over the place so the habitat is slowly changing (Naturally) as bushes and trees have been taking hold. I know of at least one good size vernal pond in the area. ( Dried up this time of year )
It was a great night for salamanders but I was a little to eager to venture out. The grass was 5 feet tall most of the time and even clearings still had about a foot of grass. No doubt the salamanders were there but it was hard to see the ground, let alone a small caudate. Turning over logs didn't yield anything either.
However. I did find a cute little American toad on a mossy branch. Strange right? The last place I would expect to find a toad is in a tree. It was a great photo oppertunity but I didn't have any camera equiptment with me at the time. I don't have an SLR but I still have an external flash, bouncer, reflector, stuff like that. I'm looking into getting a multipurpose backpack and am still looking for a good one. Regardless, I still got some pretty good pictures of this toad.
Then I had another nice find a chorus frog. Chorus frogs live in this thick grass but that is exactly what makes them so hard to find. First time I've found one in its typical habitat!!!! ( excluding springtime ) Chorus frogs and spring peepers are easy to tell apart, but this guy looked rather strange. The lines on his back almost cross and kind of resemble an X. It took me a few seconds to realize this, where Chrous frog ID is usually very simple.
The best find of the night was a grouping of American giant millipedes. I didn't know they were at this part of the state. Many of you have probably seen the tiny milipedes under rocks and logs but these guys were like 2.5 inches long.
I was out there for about two and a half hours. I took pictures but can't upload on this website due to my slow internet connection.
It was a great night for salamanders but I was a little to eager to venture out. The grass was 5 feet tall most of the time and even clearings still had about a foot of grass. No doubt the salamanders were there but it was hard to see the ground, let alone a small caudate. Turning over logs didn't yield anything either.
However. I did find a cute little American toad on a mossy branch. Strange right? The last place I would expect to find a toad is in a tree. It was a great photo oppertunity but I didn't have any camera equiptment with me at the time. I don't have an SLR but I still have an external flash, bouncer, reflector, stuff like that. I'm looking into getting a multipurpose backpack and am still looking for a good one. Regardless, I still got some pretty good pictures of this toad.
Then I had another nice find a chorus frog. Chorus frogs live in this thick grass but that is exactly what makes them so hard to find. First time I've found one in its typical habitat!!!! ( excluding springtime ) Chorus frogs and spring peepers are easy to tell apart, but this guy looked rather strange. The lines on his back almost cross and kind of resemble an X. It took me a few seconds to realize this, where Chrous frog ID is usually very simple.
The best find of the night was a grouping of American giant millipedes. I didn't know they were at this part of the state. Many of you have probably seen the tiny milipedes under rocks and logs but these guys were like 2.5 inches long.
I was out there for about two and a half hours. I took pictures but can't upload on this website due to my slow internet connection.