Spring Herping in Vermilion County, Illinois

Spotted Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
March 15th 2015

Species Found

1. Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
2. Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)
3. Silvery Salamander (Ambystoma platineum)
4. Northern Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

Background:

The snow had just about melted and signs of Spring were starting to show so we decided to go herping. Noah, Tristan and I went to Vermilion County on March 12th with a group of about 10 herpers from all around. We didn't expect to find any snakes but we hoped to get a few salamanders and frogs. On this trip we heard a few Chorus Frogs calling but we didn't find a single amphibian or reptile. We did, however do a lot of hiking and saw some amazing sights. There was a stream that cut through the preserve, with a pretty cool looking mini waterfall, where we found a dead coyote pup. We also saw a few wild turkey: 2 males and 1 female.

Stream: PC Yatin Kalki

Dead Coyote Pup: PC Yatin Kalki

Wild Turkey: PC Tristan Schramer

The next day we decided to go to Busey Woods, a small forest just off campus. We walked through the whole tract, wading through the ponds and flipping every log but we couldn't find anything there either.

Busey Woods: PC Tristan Schramer

The next couple of days were really warm so we decided to go back to Vermilion County and see if the amphibians had woken up yet.

The Trip:

We were greeted with the welcoming sound of Spring Peepers calling as we made our way up the trail leading to the forest. When I had come last October I had seen a fresh deer carcass in the middle of that trail. Now it was reduced to clean, white bones. We started flipping some of the logs on trail and under the third or fourth log we flipped, Tristan found a small Red Back Salamander. This was our first herp of the season so we were all way too excited about this small, super common salamander. (So common that we had seen close to 100 on one hillside last Fall). This also meant that the ground had thawed and the amphibians were awake. We were eager to find more cool herps.

Red Back Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

We made our way into the forest and saw some neat ponds that the frogs and salamanders use for breeding. Noah and I set off herping in different directions while Tristan tried to net salamander larvae in the ponds. The area I was working was the exact same one I had worked in Fall, and sure enough, just like last Fall, I found nothing but earthworms and slugs. I headed back to the ponds to find Tristan and Noah taking photos of something on the ground. After failing to net any larvae, Tristan had found a Spotted Salamander under a large log near the pond. I had never seen this species before so I was very excited. The contrast between the dark body and the bright yellow spots was amazing. The Spotted Salamander was pretty large, around 17cm long. Seeing a salamander so big and beautiful made my day. Even if we didn't find anything else, I would have been happy.

Spotted Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Spotted Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Spotted Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Spotted Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

While we were photographing the Spotted Salamander, Tristan told me that he really wanted to find a Silvery Salamander. There was supposed to be an isolated population of them here in Vermilion County, the only population in Illinois. This meant that they were an endangered species in the state. I told him that I'd be on the lookout for Silvery Salamanders, even though I didn't even know what they looked like. Since the area I had been searching before had given me nothing, I chose a new direction and went on looking under logs and rocks as I walked. I must have flipped over 200 objects because my body went into autopilot, lifting up a log, looking under it and replacing it. I was about 100 meters away from the pond when I saw a large black salamander under a small piece of wood. I had picked it up before I even realized that I had found a herp. I didn't know what species it was but it was fat, black and had some bluish marbling on its sides and belly. I called Tristan and Noah over to take a look. Tristan confirmed that it was a Silvery Salamander. This was a first time species for all 3 of us. The one I had found was a gravid female, in fact all members of this species are female. They reproduce by cloning themselves with the help of sperm from other salamander species. The foreign sperm doesn't contribute an genetic material but it activates the embryos into developing. Most Silvery Salamander populations use Blue Spotted Salamander sperm but this population uses Smallmouth Salamander sperm. It's kind of amazing that such a bizarre interaction exists in nature.

Silvery Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Silvery Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Silvery Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Silvery Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

While Noah and Tristan were photographing the Silvery, I proceeded to keep searching the area I had found it in. Less than 5 minutes later, I found a little Spring Peeper under a log that was half immersed in a small puddle of water. I caught it and bought it back to the log by the pond where Noah and Tristan were photographing the Silvery. I set it down on the log and took a few pictures before it jumped into the leaf litter. When I chased after it I saw not 1 but 2 little frogs jumping through the leaves. The new Spring Peeper was yellow while the old one was gray. Both had the characteristic X mark on their backs, which gives them the name 'crucifer'. I had seen a Spring Peeper in Vermilion County last Fall but it was still nice to see the frog that was making so much noise in the forest.

Spring Peeper: PC Yatin Kalki

Spring Peepers: PC Yatin Kalki

Spring Peepers: PC Yatin Kalki

It started to get dark and we decided to call it a day. We had planned to visit another spot where we had found Slimy Salamanders last time but we were satisfied with the herps we had managed to find already. With 2 new species to add to my list, I now had 39 American Herp Species. This successful herping trip is sure to be the first of many. I hope to continue to find cool herps throughout the year.