What's Your Nature?
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Orienteering Events St. Lawrence County
Join North Country Orienteering on Saturday, June 1, at Pleasant Lake State Forest and three adjoining private properties near Gouverneur, New York, in St. Lawrence County for a full day of orienteering activities.
Game Day: Monopoly Rogaine (3- and 6-hour options). Release your inner capitalist. With hundreds of cliffs, dozens of beaver dams, and water everywhere, the navigational gauntlet has been thrown.
Three classic point-to-point courses: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Spring Peepers
I was exploring the vernal pool at the end of the Kip Trail by flashlight last week, and the spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) were deafening. After much searching, I finally spotted one tucked into some fallen cattail stalks. He has a somewhat dubious survival instinct, as he didn't stop calling even when my camera lens was inches from his face. On my way out of the pool, I nearly stepped on two more peepers (second picture). The male (on top) is amplexing the female -- holding on so that he'll have the best chance at fertilizing her eggs when she lays them.
Spotted Salamander Egg Mass
Another Herpetology lab find in Glenmeal State Forest -- spotted salamander eggs in a vernal pool. All of these eggs were laid by a single salamander -- they were just the size of the black dots you can see in the picture. Their jelly-like coating then absorbed water and expanded to nearly the size of my hand, in order to protect the eggs and keep them hydrated.
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
The Herpetology class went exploring in Glenmeal State Forest for lab today, and we found a wide variety of salamanders, frogs, and egg masses. Here's an eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) who was under a mossy log near an intermittent stream. There were actually two red-backs under the same log, within an inch of each other, which is surprising given that this species is usually territorial.
Spotted Salamander eggs
While going out to Glenmeal State Forest for with my Herpetology class for lab this past Monday, we were collecting data and counts for Spotted Salamander eggs, Wood Frog eggs, and Jefferson/Blue-spotted Salamander Complex eggs. Here is an egg mass of Spotted Salamander eggs
Red-backed Salamander
I was outside at Glenmeal State Forest for lab with my Herpetology class this past Monday, checking out vernal pools. The day was clear, sunny, and about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon flipping many logs, I was finding many Red-backed Salamanders, and this little fellow was underneath a rotting one.
Red-backed Salamander
I was outside for lab with my Herpetology class at Glenmeal State Forest this past Monday. The day was clear, sunny, and about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon flipping many logs, this Red-backed Salamander was underneath a rotting one.