Category: Caterpillars

Red-spotted Newt

 

 

Egg mass of Red-spotted Newt, resembling a bunch of cotton
Egg mass of Red-spotted Newt, resembling a wad of cotton

 

I have an adult Red-spotted Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens, in my small pond. Doing research, and learning about this newt has been a fun journey.

A type of salamander, they start out their life in a pond, marsh, stream or small lake, as an egg mass that resembles a big wad of cotton, attached to a piece of underwater vegetation.

Egg mass of Red-spotted Newt
Egg mass of Red-spotted Newt

 

The Red-spotted Newt, lays her eggs, one at a time, and the eggs, often numbering a few hundred, will hatch in a month or two, depending on the water temperature. When the eggs hatch they become larvae with feathery gills and a coloring much like the adult Red-spotted Newt.

Juvenile stage of the Red-spotted Newt, land based, Red Eft
Juvenile stage of the Red-spotted Newt, land based, Red Eft

 

The larvae live in their watery environment for 2 to 5 months eating aquatic insects and small snails.

At the end of summer, larvae will leave the water, shedding their gills, developing sac-like lungs, and begin another stage in their lives, as Red Efts, remarkably beautiful orange beings with brighter orange spots, surrounded with black circles.

I enjoy finding Red Efts, while I’m out in the woods. They are slow moving critters, appearing to be willing models for my photography.

They spend as many as 4 years as terrestrial creatures. During this stage the Red Efts will hibernate during the winter under a log or rock. During the summer in dry weather they may seek shelter under those same logs or rocks to keep their skin moist, coming out during rainy weather.

An adult Red-spotted Newt in his underwater world
An adult Red-spotted Newt in his underwater world

 

For the next couple years, the Red Eft will become darker, and develop a longer, blade-like tail. He will find a body of water to enter, where he will live for the rest of his life as an aquatic adult. In this stage he will eat insects, frog and fish eggs, crustaceans, and worms.

Notice the long tail of the Red-spotted Newt in his underwater world
Notice the long tail of the adult Red-spotted Newt in my pond

 

Red-spotted Newts can live to be 12 to 15 years old. Quite a long life for a critter so small, generally growing as an adult to 5 inches long.

It took me a few years, first to find that I had a newt in my pond. And then to have the information click in my brain, to realize that this newt, and the Red Eft, and all the cottony masses of eggs were all the same species.

Fun finds in the forest!

 

A Good Day For Monarchs

Monarch1

Oh What a Day!

I think it was just a perfect day!  After finding a sincere pumpkin patch and locating a large, golden orange squash that would please even the Great Pumpkin, I returned to my cabin to find a Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, enjoying the many varieties of asters that I have in the yard.  What a delightful surprise!  During this butterfly season, from spring until now, I had only seen a grand total of two Monarch butterflies.

Monarch5

Mid-Summer

My first Monarch sighting was in mid-July, way up the mountain.  He was flitting back and forth from one fleabane flower to another.  It was another month until I saw another one, just one.  I managed to get some pictures of the first one (above) but the second sighting went without photographs.

Monarch3

Where Are They

In other years, the Monarchs have been much more plentiful.  The photo, above, was taken in June 2010 and shows a Monarch feasting on a purple coneflower.  My gardens this summer have had lots of purple coneflowers blooming.  It didn’t attract any Monarchs though.

Monarch2

Sunflowers?

It made no difference that sunflowers were around, Monarchs just weren’t there.

Monarch4

Gaillardia?

It made no difference that gaillardia was blooming in my garden earlier this summer.  But today I saw 6 or 7 of these beautiful, rich orange and black creatures!  Hooray!  These butterflies are beginning their long migration, all the way to Mexico.  I wish them well, finding plenty of good weather and the foods they need along the way.

Caterpillar Of The Monarch Butterfly
Caterpillar Of The Monarch Butterfly

More Milkweed

I’m going to be putting more native Milkweed, Asclepias, in my garden.  Milkweed is the only plant that Monarch larvae eat, and I want to make them feel at home here on my mountain!  AND I will be reading, and listening to reports from scientists who study butterflies to learn why there have been so few this butterfly season.