On a recent walk through the woods I stepped over what I thought was a lost gray shoelace or strap amidst the leaves in the center of the trail. I took another step or two before I decided that that interpretation wasn’t quite right, and I turned around to have a better look at this strange item in the trail. I’m glad I did, as it turned out to be a ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus) partially obscured by the fallen…
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. It’s worth acknowledging all the positive changes that have been enacted over the last 50 years – the enacting the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, endangered species like the bald eagle have rebounded from the brink of extinction, rivers are no longer on fire and don’t run the color of whatever the upstream dye factory happens to be producing on a given day, and renewable energy options…
In all of the disruption related to COVID-19, I hope you’ve all found some time to get out, enjoy nature, and soak up some of the early signs of spring. Although yesterday (March 19th) was the official first day of spring, given the extremely warm winter we had, many of the natural bench-marks that I personally watch for as hopeful “signs of spring” have been occurring earlier than normal this year. Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) is blooming almost a month…
Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) can be distinguished from other local frogs by their dark “mask” extending back from each of their eyes. The rest of their body can vary from light tan to reddish brown; in fact, a single individual can vary their coloring seasonally. While other species, like the green frog, are often found in close proximity to water year round, wood frogs are rarely seen in association with water other than during the spring breeding season when they…
The green frog (Rana clamitans, aka Lithobates clamitans) is one of the most common frogs in Massachusetts, and can be found in all types of freshwater wetlands. Their coloring varies from green to olive to brown, although according to one guide book I consulted, regardless of body color they tend to have a green upper lip. Green frogs look somewhat similar to bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), but green frogs have a pair of dorsolateral ridges that extend the length of their…
Earlier this week I completed my second state (Connecticut), in an effort to ultimately complete the entire Appalachian Trail (AT) in sections. (Click here to read about my ~100-mile Massachusetts section hike from 2017). While Connecticut was a little less rugged than Massachusetts (with the exception of Bear Mountain at an elevation of 2,326 feet, the rest of the Connecticut AT is under 1,500 feet), it had beautiful open forests, very few “road walks”, and numerous wide sweeping views of…
True toads are differentiated from frogs by prominent bony ridges (called cranial crests) on top of their heads, and conspicuous swellings (parotoid glands) behind their eyes. These parotoid glands are a defense mechanism against predators (including cats and dogs), as they will secrete a toxic fluid if punctured. The many warts covering a toad’s body also secrete a similar toxin. However, despite the toxin’s deterrent effect on predators, toads are not poisonous to touch (and they do not cause warts…
Rainy spring nights bring yellow spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) out of forested areas where they spend most of their adult lives and down to vernal pools to breed. Like many obligate vernal pool species, spotted salamanders cannot breed in most permanent ponds because fish would eat the salamander eggs and larvae. The fact that vernal pools dry out completely for at least part of the year means they cannot support fish populations and are therefore lack fish predators. On these…
Although red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) exhibit color polymorphism, the color variation that is most common in eastern Massachusetts is true to their name. Here you will likely find individuals with a red, or at least reddish, colored dorsal band running down their midline from the head to the tail (the alternative color variation is sometimes referred to as the “lead-backed” form and is darker in coloration, lacking most or all of the distinctive red pigmentation). The sides of their bodies…
There are fresh water turtles (e.g., snapping turtles, red-eared sliders, painted turtles, etc.), there are sea turtles (e.g., leatherback turtles, green turtles, kemp’s ridley turtles, etc.) that live in salt water, and then there are diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin). Terrapins are the only turtle in North America found brackish coastal tidal marshes, with Cape Cod marking the northernmost extent of their range. Terrapins can tolerate short periods of below freezing temperatures, but not for more than a week or two,…