On the Move

Signs of spring are finally showing up here in Connecticut. The temperatures are milder, the days are growing longer, our daffodils are peeking up out of the hard soil. Everything seems to be on the move these days, waking from a long winter slumber.

Every spring here in the northeast, during the first night of soaking rain and warming temperatures, amphibians, including salamanders and wood frogs, migrate from their wintering sites in the uplands to vernal pools to breed and lay their eggs. There's even a name for it - Big Night.

This week we enjoyed a warm rain that not only washed away most of the leftover piles of dirty brown snow, but also spurred spotted salamanders into action. Here are a few of the pictures and a video clip I capture that night. And now that you know, keep your own eyes peeled for wildlife in the road the next time it rains this spring!