The Jefferson salamander (above) and the Spotted salamander (below) both visit and leave eggs in my little pond in NY State.
These photos were taken this weekend. My pond is, in essence, a plastic container that was from Walmart several summers ago. It is about three and a half feet long…two feet wide and two feet deep. The depth is important for the salamanders, especially this season. It will not dry up as many vernal pools are during this unusually warm and dry springtime. About 10 years ago, I captured a blue Spotted Salamander in this location too. I haven’t seen one since. My camera and computer knowledge were both serious lacking then. In springtimes past, I’ve brought home specimens for the kids to witness firsthand. This year, I opted to leave them alone. A dry Spring is not very friendly to amphibians so I wanted them to keep multiplying uninterrupted.
The Jefferson and Spotted salamanders are syntopic. ( They occur together locally.) My little pond has become a yearly support to local populations and I’m very proud of this. At first, Wood Frogs overwhelmed my little pond at mating time. There are still a few who leave their eggs but the pond is populated by many more salamander eggs. The Wood Frogs have moved to larger ponds in our area.
The adult salamanders will leave soon and by late April their tadpoles will be visible and plentiful. I’ll document their growth in future posts.
There are a few more weekend shots to share. Enjoy!
Sillyfrog's Blog 
Fab post. Always enjoy your photos.
Years ago we had a place in Humboldt County in California. Very country. Lovely! Anyway we had tones of salamanders and banana slugs. All was well until my son (young then) freaked out my mother-in-law by putting a sampling on the dinning room table.
Happy days, Susan.
P.S.: Thanks for the reminder of National Poetry Mo. in one of your other posts. Almost forgot it. How could I! 😉
Makes me laugh…salamanders are so unoffensive when you get to know them. April seems to be a perfect month for poetry…Good vibes sent to you too, my friend. ~Susan
Oh, and another P.S. – Like the new theme. Perfect frame for your photos. Well done.
Thank-you Jamie…theme hunting if fun!
It is! I am unfortunately addicted to it.
Super photos – wish we had salamanders in the UK
They are quite remarkable! I was unaware that you had none…I feel even luckier to live in New England, thanks!
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Sorry that I missed this comment earlier! Thank you very much!