When do you guys start going out?

[MattM]

When do you start herping in the spring?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

We can go out year round down here in Virginia. However, the first warm rains during late winter (which is usually around the second week of February here) usually signals the start of the Ambystoma migration. This is usually considered the start of herping season up North.

 

[Logan]

I have a similar answer for Southern Illinois. You can find active newts and a select few Plethodon such as dorsalis active right now. I would say I actually start herping in Feb as well.

 

[MattM]

I just moved down to Kentucky, and am wondering if I can start looking already. I usually wait for the nice rains of spring for the Ambystom migrations back home, but the weather here has been kinda weird. It gets cold 20 degrees-50 degrees in like a couple days.

 

[Willlis]

As soon as you get a good rain in the early spring I start heading out. The ice doesnt even have to be totally gone on the ponds before you will see ambystoma out. I think for Michigan when wood frogs start calling is a pretty good time, by that point you there is a fair amount up and active but the insect mobs have not begun.

 

[MattM]

I have a similar answer for Southern Illinois.

Yay Carbondale! I miss southern Illinois. Do you attend SIU? I just graduated from there. Where do you go out around there? The places I mostly went when I was there was Giant City, and 8/9 salamanders I used to find were Plethodon glutinosus.

Today after work I decided to go out and look for some stuff. It was around 55-60 degrees today, and poured for a good 3 hours. I did not find anything, but my fellow intern found a "black with yellow spots" salamander between some rock crevices. It retreated to the back and in a hole before I could get a look. Upon getting back to our bunkhouse, (we have a salamanders of Kentucky poster), he said it was a slimy. Sucks cause I like salamanders way more then he does. It wasn't that bad though. Got some good exercise climbing up very steep mountain sides, got to use my headlight that I have been wanting to test out for a while, and I got to see TONS of awesomely cool moss. I want to setup one of our spare 100 gal tanks just for cool moss. If it is decent out tomorrow (forecast 40's) I think I will go out again, and check out those bluffs in daylight. Maybe I will find a salamander or two, but at least I know I will find some sweet moss.

 

[John]

FYI you've already missed Ambystoma barbouri in Kentucky. I think all of the other Ambystoma have already or are in the process of migrating right now. That doesn't mean you won't be able to find them in ponds though. Good luck!

 

[jaster]

I am going out tonight with hopes of seeing a LOT of spotted salamanders. A few were out last week and it hasn't rained since, until today.

 

[Kaysie]

I miss the year-round herping in Carbondale too.

Stupid Michigan weather's been weird all year. It'll probably be another two weeks before we get some rain-rain, not freezing rain.

 

[MattM]

Just a little update on what I have found so far.
Close to a hundred P. richmondi over the days of flipping rocks on the hills
A couple A. maculatum. I don't know of many vernal pools so I have to rely on them going to the ones I know of.
Found one E. cirrigera, and one Pseudotriton montanus diastictuscrossing the road yesterday night.
Tons of N. v. viridescens in the vernal by my place.
A bunch of D. monticola. These are neat guys.
And one Gyrinophilus porphyriticus duryi.

I want to go out more but I am unaware of some good spots around here and don't have much time to wander around during the day to figure out where things are. Still am very happy with what I have found. I hope to find more Plethodons because they are my favorite.

 

[nwmnnaturalist]

In a normal year, I usually start seeing activity in mid to late April. But in years where there is a lot of snow later on, it may be early May before amphibians start being active. The first breeders here are Pseudacris maculata (Boreal Chorus Frogs), closely followed by Rana sylvatica (Wood Frogs), then Pseudacris crucifer (Spring Peeper), Ambystoma tigrinum (Eastern Tiger Salamander), Ambystoma laterale (Blue-Spotted Salamander), then the Common Toads Copes/Northern Gray Tree Frogs, Northern Leopard Frogs, Green Frogs and Mink Frogs. Mudpuppies are breeding too, but those are a whole different ballgame. There are reports of Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt) sightings in our area, but I've never personally found one.

We had late snow this year, so it may be a late spring. Can't wait!