Springtime Salamanders
The mountains are finally warming up, and the forests are starting to come alive with some of our favorite critters! Salamanders have long been a staple species for us here at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center and have been a fan favorite for decades at the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rallies.
The mountains are finally warming up, and the forests are starting to come alive with some of our favorite critters! Salamanders have long been a staple species for us here at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center and have been a fan favorite for decades at the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rallies. Since we’re getting into our peak season for these beautiful creatures, we’ll be sharing some fun facts about the ecological importance of salamanders as well as highlighting some of our favorite species along the way.
With over 75 distinct species, the Southern Appalachian Mountains hold the highest species diversity of salamanders in the world! This is due to the wide variety of ecosystems in these mountains and the uniquely fragmented habitats found throughout this region. Deep dark caves, roaring rivers, seasonal wetlands, and high mountain peaks, are just a few of the habitats that these stunning salamanders call home.
Within these habitats, you can find several families of salamanders. The most abundant of these are the Lungless Salamanders (Plethodontidae), this family includes the majority of our local salamanders including Duskies (Desmognathus), Slimy/Mountain Salamanders (Plethodon), and Brook Salamanders (Eurycea). However, not all of our local species are lungless, with the primary exceptions being Mole Salamanders (Ambystomatidae), Newts (Salamandridae), and the mighty Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchidae).
Each of these families has unique traits and adaptations that they use to thrive in the habitats that they belong to, so stick around while we dive into some fun facts about some of these wonderful species!
As seen on our logo here at BRDC, the Blue Ridged Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea Wilderae) acts as our rad representative across all of our branding and is a classic species in this region. As a member of the Brook Salamander family, these semiaquatic sallies spend most of their lives within several hundred feet of the cold streams they grew up in. After hatching from eggs, these salamanders spend the first 1-2 years of their lives as aquatic larvae in cold mountain streams. After their time as a larva is complete, they metamorphosize and journey onto land where they’ll spend the rest of their adult life searching for food, shelter, and moisture!
The White-spotted Slimy Salamander (Plethodon Cylindraceus) is one of the largest terrestrial salamanders that is commonly found in our region. These forest dwellers lack any larval or aquatic stage, hatching directly into their juvenile form. These black or dark blue individuals have white spots across their backs and towards their belly that resemble stars in the night sky. The slimy salamander complex gets its name from the glue-like secretion that these species release when threatened, which is its primary defense from any would-be predators. Most slimy salamanders never venture more than 30-40 feet from their hatching site, meaning they are both fierce protectors of their territory as well as opportunistic feeders that will prey on anything within their home range, including other members of their own species!
One of the most recognizable salamanders found in the southeast, the Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus Viridescens) is well known for its bright colors and its relaxed temperament. Their vibrant colors not only make them easy to find, but also warns predators of the toxicity that these salamanders utilize as their main defense mechanism. These famous critters are quite unique in that they are triphasic, meaning they have three distinct phases in life. The first phase is their larval stage, where they live in ponds, vernal pools, wetlands, and slow moving streams. After this they metamorphosize into their juvenile stage. It’s in this stage where they live terrestrially, turn to their classic bright orange or red and take on a new name as an eft. Their third and final stage is their adult form, where they turn to a green/brown color and return to the water as an aquatic species to reproduce. All in all, these newts can live for over 15 years in the wild!
Behold the mythical Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). These fully aquatic salamanders are the largest amphibians in North America and can grow up to 30 inches long! These rare creatures can be found in only the most pristine waters, as they need a perfect balance of cold water, suitable nesting habitat, a large abundance of food, and pollution free water. Hellbenders are known as an indicator species, because their presence in a waterway means that the ecosystem is healthy, and if these populations decline or disappear you know that water quality has been compromised. These creatures have more nicknames then most and have been called lasagna sides, Alleghany alligators, mud devils, and snot otters!
Winter Rally Re-Cap
We were so delighted to host the first ever Mount Rogers Winter Naturalist Rally this past weekend!
Geology Road Trip with Arthur Merschat
We were delighted to host the first ever Mount Rogers Winter Naturalist Rally last weekend! It has been one of our objectives to host a fall, winter, and summer rally. The winter rally focused on the flora, fauna, weather, and terrain that is unique to the cold, winter months! 80 eager individuals experienced stimulating outdoor activities and great food. Our programs included winter astronomy, the Oral History of Konnarock, a weather balloon launch, a geology road trip, waterfowl prowl, wildlife tracks & signs, winter tree identification, the challenges of measuring snow, ecology & management of high elevation communities and clay bowl making with Grim Pottery.
Geology Road Trip with Arthur Merschat
Fluorescent Lichen found on a Night Hike led by Cade Campbell following the winter astronomy program.
We would like to say thank you to our keynote speaker and guide, Dr. Doug Miller, for his extraordinary presentation, “Sandy Snow: An Unusual Hurricane Winter Wonderland”. We would also like to thank our incredible guides that really helped make our first Winter Rally a success. Thank you to Allen Boynton, Cade Campbell, Jeremy Stout, Dr. Ed Davis, Mark Archibald, Arthur Merschat, Jordon Blevins, and Debbie Yates.
Kids programs were lead by Program Coordinator Ali Reilly and Naturalist Educator Olivia Jackson. Fries School brought 18 students to explore the Blue Ridge through programs such as intro to birding, geology, tracks & signs, snow science, and winter ecology.
Finally, a special shoutout to our spectacular volunteers, the BRDC Board! Their help truly allowed the rally to run smoothly and efficiently.
We can’t wait to see everyone back on our campus for our Spring Rally coming May 12-14! Stay tuned for more updates!