Fun in Appalachia II

In this part, Mike and I travel to some of the southwestern counties in North Carolina to target a few more Plethodontid (Lungless) Salamanders found only in the Appalachian Mountains.  Our main targets for this trip include the Red-Legged Salamander (Plethodon shermani), Seepage Salamander (Desmognathus aeneus), Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus), and the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus).

We start by meeting in Huntersville, NC where I pick up Mike and head to the town of Bat Cave, NC.  We get to our first spot shortly before nightfall.  At this location we are looking for Green Salamanders (Aneides aeneus), which are protected in North Carolina and are listed as a State Threatened Species, needless to say our approach will be hands off.  We fail to detect any Green Salamanders but we turn up a young Blue Ridge Gray-Cheeked Salamander (Plethodon amplus).  Plethodon amplus is a species is in the 'jordani' complex, where it used to be referred as a mere conspecific to a number of other Plethodon species in the southern Appalachians; P. shermani, P. montanus, P. cheoah, P. jordani, P. metcalfi, and P. meridianus.  We observed P. montanus on our last adventure to Avery and Watauga counties in my initial Fun in Appalachia post.

The sun fades and we are left making our way to a nearby dirt road that cuts into a mountain.  We stop at several areas along the road that look like appropriate habitat; rocky boulders covered in moss.  On our first stop Mike and I both spot a couple adult Blue Ridge Gray-Cheeks (Plethodon amplus) - quick photographs are taken and we continue.  On the way we spot a Northern Ringneck Snake out foraging and a few more adult Blue Ridge Gray-Cheeks.  Finally, Mike spots our target here, a sub-adult Yonahlossee Salamander (Plethodon yonahlossee) - yes, the same species we initially targeted in my previous post.  But its not what your thinking - this population used to be recognized as a separate species known as the Crevice Salamander (Plethodon longicrus).  Individuals found here, in the vicinity of Bat Cave, look distinctly different.  The Crevice Salamander lacks the deep red dorsum expressed so obviously on Yonahlossee Salamanders.  Head morphology appears to be distinct between the two forms, however, this population receives no special taxonomic distinction.  But, in my opinion - and that is all that counts - this is a distinct race; being geographically separate.  I mean, if two seemingly identical Gray-Cheeked Salamanders (P. amplus and P. montanus) can be two completely separate species, then how can two different geographic Yonahlossee forms not be recognized at least on the subspecies level?  In much the same way 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', so is taxonomy - Ha, this is completely ignorant but its my blog, my rules!

I'm sure you can see quite the difference, too!  After a few frustrating photos, we continue - like most salamanders, getting them to stay still for a photograph is a painful process, but worth the rewards, most of the time.  The road turns out to be a short one, so we turn around to check out a small roadside stream we had passed earlier.  The stream passes under the road via a simple culvert system, here we turn up three species of salamanders; the Black-bellied (Desmognathus quadramaculatus), Seal (D. monticola), and Ocoee (D. ocoee).  Desmognathus ocoee is in the D. "ochrophaeus" complex, which includes four other species; D. orestes (see my previous post), D. ochrophaeus, D. imitator, and D. carolinensis.  Species in this group are the most terrestrial members of the genus Desmognathus (Dusky Salamanders).  Their most key feature is a tail that is round in cross section, unlike the other Dusky Salamanders which need a tail more triangular in cross section for aquatic locomotion.    This complex mimics larger Woodland Salamanders (Plethodon sp.) quite well - more on that in a future post.

Mike spotted several large Black-bellies (4-6 specimens) poking out of a leaf-pack root system at the culvert edge.  We devised a system that lead to the capture of one individual, while Mike netted another specimen in the culvert.  After some tricky photography we left for our campsite in Macon County, where we would resume in the morning.

Well, we got lucky.  Our campsite is home to at least three species of Salamanders.  We got two of our four main trip targets within 10 feet of my hammock!  Mike started the morning off right - with two Seepage Salamanders (Desmognathus aeneus) and several Red-Legged Salamanders (Plethodon shermani).  We totaled with three Seepage Salamanders (finally flipped my own) and possibly more than twenty Red-Legged Salamanders (apparently abundant in one particular old rotten stump).  We also flipped an Ocoee Salamander (Desmognathus ocoee), however, this specimen expressed red-limbs.  The "red-legged" morph is wildly known from areas where Red-Legged Salamanders (P. shermani) occur - many believe it is a type of mimicry.  The idea is that the Red-Legged Salamander (P. shermani) is mildly toxic to the point of distasteful to predators and by mimicking the red legs, Ocoee Salamanders can capitalize on predator identification and avoidance.  It is a hard process to look at scientifically, but this relationship of "ochrophaeus" and "jordani" complexes extends range-wide.  Another example can be seen in the case of the Imitator Salamander (Desmognathus imitator) and the Red-Cheeked Salamander (Plethodon jordani), where the Imitator Salamander exhibits "red-cheeks" in areas where it is sympatric to the Red-Cheeked Salamander.  I know, pretty interesting stuff going on here, but the "ochrophaeus" complex does not just mimic members of the "jordani" complex, but like I said already, this if for another post!

After some extremely painful photography, Mike and I were off.  We had already got what we came to this particular spot for, but we decided to look around for awhile.  We found a nice little seep a few feet off one of the main trails.  The seep didn't have much in terms debris to flip, but Mike managed to flip a nice Blackchin Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber schencki) larva.  In this seep, where Red-Legged Salamanders (Plethodon shermani) are NOT present, we only flipped all black Ocoee Salamanders (Desmognathus ocoee); but right outside of the seep we flipped more red-legged Ocoee Salamander morphs, interesting!  We continued to another seep, much more rocky.  I immediately flipped a nice Carolina Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus dunni) larva.  I used to flip Spring Salamander larvae all the time in West Virginia, it was nice to see one in North Carolina for a change.  After some quick photographs we manged to hike a few feet in elevation and Mike flipped our nicest Red-Legged Salamander (Plethodon shermani) of the trip!  It was a stunner.  An adult male complete with a visible mental gland.  The gland is used in courtship rituals and is known as a secondary sexual characteristic (appearing only during the active breeding season).  We left the spot to travel back to Henderson county to search for our last two targets of the trip.  On our way out we stopped at a roadside seep and flipped a few more Ocoee Salamanders and Mike spotted a young stripe-less Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis s. sirtalis).

We picked up a meal and some supplies (i.e., batteries) in Brevard before making our way to our desired location.  We planned to hunt for Green Salamanders (Aneides aeneus) at night and in the morning venture out for some Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus).  We drove through some rain which made the roads crowded with little Red-Efts - the terrestrial sub-adult stage of the Eastern Red Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus v. viridescens).  Well, to put it shortly we struck out on finding any appropriate Green Salamander habitat and didn't get to hike any habitat.  We didn't have any spots per se, and didn't see any good habitat.  We decided to call it an early night and recharge for Timber Rattlesnakes in the morning.  While looking through aerial photographs, Mike picked nice ridge to hike in the AM.

That next morning we broke camp and made our way.  We decided on hiking a route that went along the ridge line - it was longer than the second option, straight up (but in hindsight I'm glad we went with the option we did).  It ended up being a little more of a climb than either of us had anticipated, certainly not I.  It took us about a mile to get to the first canopy opening, we were now on the ridge line.  As we hiked we flipped a few rocks hoping for that elusive Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis t. triangulum), but no luck with that.  We reached the first large rock boulder a quarter mile or so later.  There was a nice large rock crevice in full sun, perfect aspect.  I dropped and peered in, faintly making out a pattern I shout to Mike, "I see a copperhead!".  Mike following suit and then moments later replies with, "Oh man, it ain't just one.  I see at least...dude, there are neonates!"  It was a pretty neat moment, we had found a Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) rookery (or birthing) site.  We counted at least 9 adult snakes (most likely consisting of mostly females) and at least 15 neonates (all opaque, about to shed for the first time).  It was quite the moment, very interesting to see a communal Copperhead birthing site.  I had seen this communal behavior before in pit-vipers, with Timber Rattlesnakes in Maryland.

We snapped several photographs each and decided to keep hiking to the point we initially set out for, after all we had yet to see any rattlesnakes - and conditions seemed perfect.  He hiked down that knob and up the next to our desired site, searched for a hour or so with little more than another, this time lone, Copperhead to show for it.  No rattlesnakes for us on this day, but quite the view!  It was easy to tell we were on the highest ridge in the area.

Mike and I headed back to Huntersville, where he then departed for Columbia and I, Kernersville.  Another great trip and for me, a couple nice new lifers!  2012 has had a couple good moments...a couple.

Fun in Appalachia

As most of you know I am a native of North Carolina - you know, the state that is home to the highest salamander diversity in the world.  A feature that I've rarely celebrated on my many trips around the state.  Well, my interests have shifted, and as such I've made several trips the mountains of North Carolina.  These trips mainly centered around the Boone area, where one can find the most coveted salamander in all of North Carolina, moreover, in all of Appalachia - the Yonahlossee Salamander (Plethodon yonahlossee).

Plethodon yonahlossee, as I prefer to call it, is a member of the Lungless Salamander family Plethodontidae.  This species is a large bodied salamander that frequents rocky north facing slopes, and can be seen in fairly high abundance under the right conditions (i.e., rainy).  I have observed this species a number of times, and my first encounter was in 2008 with my former boss Phil Bradley.  At that time our mission was to collection five specimens for the NC Museum of Natural Sciences to provide exhibit and back-up exhibit specimens.  We very easily saw well over 100 specimens in two nights (short nights) of searching.

Well, fast forward to the end of last month (July, 2012) when a good friend of mine and fellow herp enthusiast Mike Martin reached out to me about needing to 'get out of the office' and reiterated that he has always wanted to see and photograph a Yonahlossee Salamander.  "Well Mike, I know a place", I replied.  And, on that first weekend of August (2012) we ventured out with a set of salamander targets to observe and photograph - first on the list, Yonahlossee.

We got to the spot before sunset but flipped a few young specimens with little effort.  Adrian, another fellow herp enthusiast joined us for the night.  The conditions were particularly dry, which is not really ideal per se.  Although we ended up seen a fair number, the adults were impossible to catch due to their reluctance to venture out of their underground crevices under such dry conditions.  But, we saw several White Spotted Slimy Salamanders (Plethodon cylindraceus) out moving, as well as, a number of Blue Ridge Dusky Salamanders (Desmognathus orestes) and one Seal Salamander (Desmognathus monticola) - these three species are common species in this particular area.  As the night hunt was ending Mike, Adrian, and I headed to a stream culvert where I knew Black-bellied Salamanders (Desmognathus quadramaculatus) occur.  As I started looking around the culverts I saw our first "hands-on" adult Yonahlossee of the night - unfortunately this specimen sported an injured tail.  It was somewhat surprising to see a Yonahlossee in that spot, so close to the running water.  But at last, we all got to photograph an adult specimen!  For Mike, his first.

On the way to the campsite we pulled over at a random trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway where we observed two more species for the night:  the Blue Ridge Two-Lined (Eurycea wilderae) and Northern Gray-cheeked (Plethodon montanus) salamanders.  Both species represented lifers for Mike.  (A 'lifer' is defined as the first time one has observed that particular species.  Some (including me) compile a 'life list', listed often in taxanomic order, consisting of all the reptiles and amphibians one has encountered in their life.  Birders are perhaps the first group of naturalists to coin these terms.)  At this point we called it a night, it was late and we needed to find a camp ground.  Oh, and of course once we declared this the rain started to pour!  Ha!  Still beats sleeping in a bed falling asleep to the TV.

We broke camp and made for our next target, the Weller's Salamander (Plethodon welleri).  This time I had never previously seen this species and knew only of a couple mountains were it was found - no precise spots to look for them.  After using some aerial maps, I had a pretty good idea where to go poke around.  As we drove up the mountain all we saw was house after house, after house.  Once we reached the top I saw Adrian shake his head as if telling me to head back down, this place is terrible.  But we had not reached the spot I had set out for and I wasn't going to just leave before looking around.  It didn't take long to find the spot and in extremely short order (first flip) we turned up two Weller's Salamanders.  At the spot we totaled ~20 Weller's Salamanders (very productive), 1 young Yonahlossee Salamander, ~6 or so Northern Gray-cheeked Salamander, and several  Blue Ridge Dusky Salamanders.  Weller's was a lifer for Mike and I, while Adrian had observed it at its type locality years prior.  Needless to say we were all stoked about the productivity of this spot and how this short trip was panning out.  Adrian then parted Mike and I to try his luck as some trout fishing on his way home.

Mike and I crossed into Tennessee to try a rumored spot for Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), the largest New World Salamander.  Hellbenders are a fully aquatic species endemic to the eastern United States that feed primarily on crayfish and are found in larger Appalachian streams.  Needless to say, after driving for a couple hours and hiking a hell of a hillside we ended up with only a sub-adult Black Ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta), no Hellbenders.  But, that is herping - it doesn't always pan out.  We then went back the  Yonahlossee spot we visited our first night.  We turned up several more Yonahlossee Salamanders, a couple of large adults, as well as the usual species for the area.

The next morning we headed out to visit our buddy Joe in Sparta, NC.  On our way to his house Mike said, "Man, you know what Joe is going to make us do first thing....alcohol".  He couldn't have been more right, immediately upon saying hello Mike and I were taking shots, oh Joe!  Joe lives in a nice two story house secluded in the woods, his driveway is a small bridge.  He lives here with his wife Ashley and as one looks around his property you see machetes, bee hives, targets, knives, and various outdoor gear.  His office consists of 1 part typical office stuff (computer, desk, books, etc), 1 part outdoor gear (he reviews for magazines), and 100 parts knives and machetes.  I mean, yeah.

Well, seeing how Mike has never seen a Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata) and I have never seen one in North Carolina - that was our first set of business.  At Joe's bridge we took a look and quickly spotted a big ole' girl basking about 3 feet above the water - it dove, Mike made the grab.  She was a gravid female and by her looks, she was going to pop (birth) soon.  Joe and I spotted another individual but it dipped into thick brush before either of us could plan an attack.  That night Joe, Mike, and I set out to road cruise in the rain.  We saw many of the usual suspects.  Mike would brake, shout the species, and hit the gas.  He was really hoping for a Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) or a Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber). We did not get either of those species that night, but we did get another adult Yonahlossee Salamander - a somewhat unexpected find and a new locality for me.

The next morning we looked in the Queen Snake bag and saw she had dropped her litter, a total of 14 neonates.  It was neat to see all those tiny young ones.  After a quick photography session of the previous night's salamanders and the Queen Snakes - Mike and I were reluctantly ready to leave.  It was great to see Joe and Ashley again and, for me, get my lifer Weller's Salamander.  The trip was a success, we found all of our targets with the exception of the Hellbender, always next time - right?!

Year in review: 2011

Forgive me, 2011 was not a year I spent much time out in the field. As such I have a small sample of photographs depicting the creatures I humbly stumbled across. Here are [some of] the best - moments, photographs, and finds from the year.

Ambystoma tigrinum - Scotland Co., NC: Found in habitat (submerged under water, within enphemeral carolina bay) along with six other individuals. My first Tiger Salamanders since 2008, when I found my lifer animals. Great way to start of the new year. Ambient air temperature stayed between 63-67F during the night. [1-January-2011]

Elaphe guttata - Scotland Co., NC: As Kevin headed over to Ross and I he discovered this animal AOR during a warm rain event, air temperature was around 64F. [1-January-2011]

Rana sylvatica - Wayne Co., WV: Found several AOR along a rural road during a moderate rain event. This specimen is one of the more attractive I have seen. [21-February-2011]

Ambystoma maculatum - Wayne Co., WV: This male was found AOR at night during a warm rain event. [27-February-2011]

Ambystoma maculatum - Wayne Co., WV: Found this gravid female moving on a warm (56F) rainy night. Seems to be a true amelanistic individual, lacking all black coloration. Not an uncommon mutation for the species, however, this specimen seems to have a very clean look. [28-February-2011]

Ambystoma barbouri - Wayne Co., WV: Found AOR at night during a warm rain event. This species is only known from two locations within the state. During winter-spring rain events in 2010 and 2011 we captured and collected data on 23 individuals - more than had previously ever been documented in the state. [5-March-2011]

Pseudacris brachyphona - Cabell Co., WV: Found amid chorusing group along roadside ditch. One of the favorite chorus frogs, I will miss this sound every spring. [5-March-2011]

Ambystoma jeffersonianum - Mason Co., WV: This gravid female was discovered AOR on a rainy spring night, my lifer specimen. [6-March-2011]

Eurycea lucifuga - Walker Co., GA: Found within a 'popular' cave. [15-April-2011]

Agkistrodon contortrix - Walker Co., GA: As I went to grab a giant Spring Salamander I stopped, as this animal was coiled inches away. Found abroad late at night during a rain storm, this specimen was our fourth copperhead of the night. [16-April-2011]

Plethodon petraeus - Walker Co., GA: This attractive salamander is endemic to only one mountain along the northwestern edge of Georgia. And, was the target of this short side trip; a fair amount were turned up over the course of the evening. [16-April-2011]

Anides aeneas - Kanawha Co., WV: Found resting on side of boulder at dusk, this is one of the best things about living in West Virginia. [9-May-2011]

Clemmys guttata - Wake Co., NC: A surprising find, as this is an uncommonly seen species within the Piedmont region and a quite out of the season find. One of my better 'home state' finds of the year. [30-May-2011]

Ophisaurus ventralis - Carteret Co., NC: Jonesy made the mad grab and got an extremely cooperative animal. Found along the edge of a drying pond. [1-June-2011]

Elaphe obsoleta x quadrivittata - Carteret Co., NC: Found AOR just outside of a national forest boundary during the 'golden hour' one late afternoon. Ratsnakes along North Carolina's coastal region are interesting from a phenotype standpoint. Quite a lot of variation occurs within this area. [2-June-2011]

Eurycea chamberlaini - Craven Co., NC: Found four under rotten logs and two abroad in leaf litter along a dry coastal creek bed. This is a lifer individual and the species of focus on my summer coastal North Carolina trip. [2-June-2011]

Heterodon simus - Scotland Co., NC: Adrian has much luck with this species, such that many do not bother going out for them anymore...serious, a June simus....asshole! [4-June-2011]

Agkistrodon piscivorous - Richmond Co., NC: What better way to beat the mid-day heat then wade 1/2 mile down a small stream. End count was 36 individuals, here three are pictured - basking together, a seemingly social species. [4-June-2011]

Elaphe guttata - Scotland Co., NC: Found underneath tin when the air temperature was 82F, don't know why I bothered...glad I did. One of five Corn Snakes I would eventually find along this area in 2011. [5-June-2011]

Crotalus horridus - Stokes Co., NC: A sad sight - found DOR at night shortly after a slight rain event, this animal represents my first horridus from this decently populated isolate (Sauratown Mountains) along the foothills of North Carolina. [5-July-2011]

Agkistrodon piscivorus - Beaufort Co., SC: Found AOR at night, this method of illumination [flash] is a first. I dig the results. [10-Aug-2011]

Crotalus horridus - Colleton Co., SC: Found AOR at night, this adult represents the third horridus of the evening. Earlier, around dusk, we stumbled onto two fresh neonates, presumably moving from their birth stump. [25-Aug-2011]

Crotalus horridus - Granville Co., NC: Individual found 6:41pm heading east within sight of house and ear shot of people talking in the yard. Five years of work went into finding this animal. This population is an isolate in the upper Piedmont of North Carolina. Together with four other interested parties a small group was formed with one main mission: to further understand the natural history and sustainability of this isolate population. You can read more here (http://www.forgottenrattlesnakes.com), website update soon. [15-August-2011]

Crotalus horridus - Moore Co., NC: Adrian flipped this small juvenile beneath warm tin on a cool (high of 70F) and overcast afternoon. [18-Sept-2011]

Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata - Scotland Co., NC: I followed Adrian's lead and outdid his flip with this neonate Mole Kingsnake. Not an uncommon snake, but a snake uncommonly found - esp. in habitat. Flipped beneath a old rotten wooden post - a solid day of herping on a cool (high of 70F) overcast day. [18-Sept-2011]

Heterodon platyrhinos - Scotland Co., NC: Found AOR on a sand road in early afternoon, this individual quickly feigned death when my Phil went to move him off the road. Nothing like getting paid to move snakes off sand roads! [6-Oct-2011]

Sistrurus miliarius barbouri - Monroe Co., FL: On our previous 2010 winter trip we counted 23 individuals, on the same hike this year (2011) this was our only sighting. Photographed in-situ and left alone. [12-December-2011]

Chamaeleo calyptratus - Undisclosed Co., FL: This male specimen was one of several we spotted at night. We had given some search in previous years for this exotic species. I must admit, it is rather awesome to go out and find Chameleons while on vacation. [16-December-2011]

Furcifer oustaleti - Undisclosed Co., FL: This individual was encountered approximately 5 feet nested within a large tree. One of our main targets for the trip, along with Eastern Coral Snakes...which we counted three DORs on this trip. However, moments before the spotting of the above mentioned animal - Mike flipped his lifer Coral. The trip somehow surpassed 2010's blowout, and is going to go on to be one of our best South Florida winter trips. The next morning, our last day in the Everglades region, I spotted my last snake of the year - a basking Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, always a joy to see! [17-December-2011]

Masticophis flagellum - Highlands Co., FL: On our last day in Florida, we had another killer day. Three Coachwhips (largest one caught pictured), 2 Neoseps, ~5 Mole Skinks, and 5 Gopher Tortoises before 1pm in the afternoon and after a late start, since the night before consisted of the celebratory bon-fires, beers, and dude action.

Not pictured here are tons of cool low country herps, Eastern Diamondbacks, more simus, strange exotic encounters (including an Asian Vine Snake in FL), Mangrove Water Snakes, tons of Corn Snakes (year of the corns, seriously), Eastern Mud Snake, Brooks phase South Florida Kingsnake, Eastern Kingsnakes, more Canebrakes, and my first Eastern Indigo (not pictured). 2011, for what little effort I could afford to spend, was pretty damn awesome in hindsight.