river talk

On the quest for herps at the BioBlitz

By SCOTT RANDO

Posted 7/10/24

The 2024 Upper Delaware BioBlitz was held on June 28 and 29 at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center in Boyds Mills, Wayne County, PA. Eight science teams documented every unique species of life …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

river talk

On the quest for herps at the BioBlitz

RR photos by Scott Rando

Two-lined salamanders are named for the two lines that border the dorsal band on most individuals, a line on each side. Two-lined salamanders were abundant in stream beds in the area in which the BioBlitz took place. They share the same habitat as the northern red salamander; the fish team netted a couple of larval two-lined salamanders in the water. Like the northern red salamander, two-lined salamanders are under cover during the day near streams and creeks.

RR photos by Scott Rando

This northern red salamander was found under a rock in a creek bed; these salamanders prefer clear, cool stream habitats. Though they are classified as abundant, they are not seen often as they spend a lot of time during the day under rocks. They are usually a bright red coloration with black spots. Some may appear a lighter shade of brown. The larvae of this species, as with many other species of salamanders, have gills and live in water.

RR photos by Scott Rando

Milk snakes are largely nocturnal and hide under rocks or other ground cover during the day. Milk snakes eat small mammals and occasionally frog or bird eggs once the snakes become adults. Milk snakes are non-venomous and harmless, but they are frequently mistaken for copperheads because of their red/brown markings. The average size is around 2 inches, with a large one measuring over 4 inches for this species.

Posted Wednesday, July 10, 2024 1:28 pm

By SCOTT RANDO

As with previous years, I was collecting herps (reptiles and amphibians) for the herp team. The weather ranged from clear skies to periods of overcast and light rain. People stayed mostly dry, and collection was not hampered.

It was too early to get a definitive species count for the BioBlitz; all the teams needed to turn in their species reports, and some species collected by the various teams had to be taken for further identification.

The preliminary count for the herp team was 15. The species were as follows: American toad, green frog, pickerel frog, wood frog, spring peeper, bullfrog, painted turtle, garter snake, milk snake, two-lined salamander, red-backed salamander, red-spotted newt, slimy salamander, Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander and a northern red salamander. This total is close to the last two totals for previous BioBlitz events during 2018 and 2021 (15 and 18). All of these species are pretty typical for the region.

After the presentations on Saturday, it came time to release our collected herps back into the wild where they were found. Though these were common species, many of them are good at hiding, and members of the public got to see these herps, as well as flora and fauna from the other seven teams.

As species count totals get compiled, they will be published along with other information at www.upperdelawarebioblitz.com/default.html.