We did not see anything in the first two locations that we checked, but our third location was a success! Many Yellow-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and Blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale) were found crossing the road, along with Spring peppers (Pseudacris crucifer), Leopard Frogs, and many worms!
As we drove down the road, we did our best to move all of the salamanders and frogs across the road to the direction they were headed to. Sadly, we also saw a lot of dead salamanders and frogs and worms on the road from being ran over by cars.
Both Yellow-spotted and Blue-spotted Salamanders belong in the family Ambystomitidae (Mole salamanders) and members of this family are stout-bodied with short and rounded heads.
Yellow-spotted Salamanders is a relatively large Ambystoma (15 to 25 cm long) and is found in southern Canada and eastern US. There is quite a variation in its breeding timing depending on the populations' location. Populations in southern regions may breed as early as December, while northern regions may not breed until April. Breeding in northern populations is highly synchronized and restricted to major breeding bouts following periods of rain.
