Streamside Salamander

While looking beneath some decomposing wood in the stream channel, I was lucky enough to find an adult Streamside Salamander.  This is the first adult of the species I’ve seen at the creek for almost ten years.  I always enjoy finding salamanders.  It’s a double treat when the species I discover is a rarity.

I always check around this time of year to monitor the breeding success of the Streamside Salamanders.  This particular species attaches its eggs to the underside of submerged flat rocks in moving water.  Fortunately, the creek has an abundance of flat rocks.  This particular rock protected a clutch of eggs two years ago.  Since then it has moved with the flood water about 20 feet downstream.

Rocks that move during high water flows do not provide the safest situation for developing salamander eggs.  If a flood begins to scoot this rock along, the eggs will most likely be lost.  The fact that I’ve again found eggs here must indicate that there is something about this rock that beckons the breeding salamander.

Large rocks that maintain their position from year-to-year provide the best egg laying locations.  The pool below these flat rocks fills with salamander larvae each year.  These rocks are large enough to accommodate multiple females.

This droopy head posture makes it appear that the salamander doesn’t have the neck muscles to hold its head up.  Its natural tendency when placed in the open is to burrow or get beneath something.  The rock offers no ingress, but if a crack or hole were encountered, the head would go in and the body would quickly follow.

The Streamside Salamander has a base color and markings that closely match the rocks in the creek.  This species spends most of its life in underground burrows and comes to the surface only at breeding time.  Most of the breeding time is spent in the creek, so being able to match the substrate in that location is a valuable asset.

The vertical grooves along the side of the body are called costal grooves and each represents the position of a rib.  The number of costal grooves is sometimes used to distinguish species, such as the Streamside and the nearly identical Smallmouth Salamander.  Unfortunately, that’s not a guaranteed method of identification, so I’m just relying on the fact that this guy was in a stream and am calling it a Streamside.

This individual had a particularly chunky tail.  The tail is used as a fat storage area, so a big tail indicates a healthy salamander that is feeding well and has an excellent chance to survive the lean times.  This tail was so large that it made the animal appear out of proportion.  I hope the rest of the population is doing as well.

Leavenworthia Barrens Check

After visiting the barrens most likely to contain Draba species, I headed for the southern slopes of a neighboring ridge line to assess the progress of Leavenworthia uniflora.  The barrens with the densest stands of Leavenworthia form a chain along the upper slope of a long east-west running ridge.

A surface covered with limestone pebbles dominates here. 

Beneath the pebbles is a soil layer deep enough for the plant roots to get a good hold.  I found the Leavenworthia to be rather abundant, but of such a small size that they were extremely difficult to see.

The largest plants are only displaying three or four leaves.  Growing conditions over the next month will determine the flowering success of this plant.

Leavenworthia grows poorly in shaded conditions.  Over a period of about ten years I gradually thinned away the cedars to provide more light for the Leavenworthia.  The Leavenworthia have responded favorably to my clearing efforts.

I’m hesitant to clear any more because of the condition of these pre-existing openings.  The soil is good enough to support several species of prairie type grasses and clearings that provide near continuous sunlight through the summer become carpeted with grass.

The grass makes a thick enough cover to effectively block all sunlight from reaching the surface.  Leavenworthia does not grow in the grassy areas.  I don’t want to make the mistake of clearing so much that conditions worsen for Leavenworthia survival.  I’m happy with the way things are now.

Even a little bit of grassy shade causes elongation of the leaf stems and general weak growth of the plant.  Plants in this condition rarely produce more than a single flower.

Several other barrens species are showing healthy growth on this site.  Here is a Western Sunflower, Helianthus occidentalis, emerging from a partially exposed stolon.  These perennial sunflowers begin their growth in late winter.

Western Sunflower growth is more typically at ground level like this specimen.  Most of the growth remains as a basal cluster, but a tall flowering stalk will emerge in mid summer.

Hedyotis canadensis, Canada Bluets, is common in all of the pebbly barrens.  The previous year flower stalk can be seen standing in the center of this year’s growth.

Many aster leaves manage to survive winter on the barrens.  Several species of asters with intergrading characteristics grow in the Leavenworthia barrens.  I usually tackle their identification on days when I crave a frustrating activity.

Salamander Breeding

In my opinion, there has not been a single night during the past three months that has had conditions suitable for salamanders to migrate overland to their breeding ponds.  Fortunately, the salamanders don’t have to wait for my approval to begin their courtship activities.  Mature salamanders are now abundant in the pond and it looks to be a record year for egg laying.

I’m still trying strategies for providing safe locations for attachment of salamander egg clusters.  My latest idea is a floating branch that can be moved to deeper water if drought causes a dramatic decline in pond water depth.  The jug acts as a float to keep the stump end of the branch from catching on the pond bottom.

The branch was favorably received by the salamanders.  The smaller stems are heavily garnished with jelly-like bags of salamander eggs.  Some people question my manipulation of this aquatic habitat, but some type of management becomes necessary when the pond and the associated amphibian population are not natural to this site.  Prior to construction of the pond approximately 60 years ago the site was dry and provided no aquatic environment in which amphibians could live or breed.  So, all of the frogs and salamanders currently breeding in the pond had to have come from somewhere else.

Up until 30 years ago, the pond held water year round and supported a population of stocked fish.  It was not until the fish could no longer survive that the pond became a suitable amphibian breeding site.  The few egg clusters I saw during my first years at Blue Jay Barrens may have been the first successful breeding attempt in the pond.  This single long branch contains more salamander egg clusters than could be found in the entire pond a mere 20 years ago.

It makes sense to assume that a point has been reached where new mature adult salamanders join the breeding population each year.  The adults are apparently finding a suitable subterranean environment in which to spend their time away from the pond.  A place that once had nothing to offer to salamanders is on its way to becoming a salamander oasis.

In several places the egg clusters were placed closely together to form a large mass.  These were attached to short grass left in the center of the breeding pool.  They should be at a depth that protects them from fluctuating water levels.

Across the pond bottom were areas of concentrated egg masses, individual clusters and even some instances of single eggs.

I was thinking the eggs were all newly placed until I noticed some jelly envelopes containing nearly developed larvae.  There had obviously been some minor breeding activity several weeks earlier than the latest explosive event.  Although I kept watch on the pond in an attempt witness the arrival of the salamanders, the 90 percent ice cover during the last two months has made observations difficult.  My manager self will have to explain to my staff self the need for vigilance in these types of pursuits.

By the time the newest eggs hatch, the earlier batch should be grown enough to find the hatchlings to be a tasty mouthful. 

Adult salamanders glided like shadows across the pond bottom.  It was evident by the activity that breeding was still ongoing.  Two individuals are shown here; one just below center and one top center.

Most of the salamanders were well outside my net range, but I was able to scoop a few near the shore.  I don’t know of anywhere nearby that could have been the original source for this Jefferson Salamander.  I know that a few individuals in each population are inclined to wander, but it would have been quite a journey for the Jefferson’s ancestors to travel to this pond.

I’m not sure what label should be properly attached to this guy.  Prior to the publication of the new Amphibians of Ohio book, I would have called it a Smallmouth Salamander.  The book puts the Smallmouth’s range at least 60 miles from Blue Jay Barrens.  Now I’m led to believe that this is a Streamside Salamander, a species that does breed in the local streams.  The Streamside is not a pond breeder.  Instead, it lays its eggs beneath flat rocks in the creek.  Apparently, in a pond situation, it can lay its eggs beneath logs, leaves or other vegetation and that may be what it’s up to here.  I think that next year I’ll put some boards and flat rocks in the pond and see if any Streamside eggs show up beneath them.  That should provide some answers.

Draba Barrens Check

With the south facing slopes finally cleared of snow I was able to get out and assess the current state of plant growth in the barrens.  Since I’ve been following the progress of the container grown rare winter annuals, I was anxious to compare that impressive growth with the condition of the wild grown plants.  The big three species at Blue Jay Barrens are Leavenworthia uniflora, Draba cuneifolia, and Draba reptans.  All three grow in barrens areas typified by bare soil conditions and excessive dryness.  This site is one in which the Drabas seem to dominate.

Bare soil of the barrens is not always evident from a distance.  Plant spikes make an effective barrier and give the illusion of solid vegetation.

It’s not until you are in a position to view the ground from a more aerial perspective that the patches of soil become apparent.  Tufts of grass sit like a thousand islands with channels of soil running between.  The grass plays an essential role in protecting the soil from wind and rain.

In some areas a thin layer of dark soil exists.  The protective grass has not only offered protection, it has provided organic matter to fuel the soil ecosystem.

The typical barrens soil presents a less prosperous appearance.  A gardener faced with soil like this would probably begin looking for a new hobby.  However, for some special plants, this is the ideal home.

The layers of small pebbles associated with many of the barrens are a result of erosion.  Rainfall has broken the soil into its individual particles and the smaller of these have been carried down slope with the runoff water.  Left behind were the small stones and pebbles that form a protective layer over the soil surface.  The energy of the rain is now spent on the stones and the soil is left in place.

Other factors also assist in keeping the barrens soils in place.  Moss and lichens are two plants that tend to bond organic matter into a living mat that is much more rain resistant than the bare soil.

In some of the larger areas, annual grasses provide temporary winter cover.  The dried grass plants shown here are Sporobolus vaginiflorus, a low growing annual that thrives in hot, dry areas.

Other plants grow in the barrens soil, but often suffer from the elements.  This Rose Pink, Sabatia angularis, has lost several of its leaves from exposure to extreme cold temperatures.  The plant is still alive and will recover from this setback.

It only takes a little protection for a Rose Pink to make it through the winter unscathed.

A barrens plant that doesn’t seem bothered by the coldest of temperatures is Gray Goldenrod, Solidago nemoralis.  The perky little basal rosettes wait patiently until longer daylight hours spur them into growth.

I did find a few Draba cuneifolia, but they were much smaller than those grown in my artificial container barrens.  Drabas require full sunlight during their growth period and will quickly flower before the surrounding vegetation grows high enough to produce shade.  I’m sure they will prosper and produce a good supply of seeds for future years. 

Small Nook by the Road

Ice and snow storms have made it difficult to work on any large projects this winter, so I’ve been using the intermittent periods of decent weather to finish some small jobs that have been cluttering up my to do list.  This is one of those odd areas that I’ve been meaning to get to for the past couple of years.  Bluehearts, Buchnera americana, one of the rarer plants in this area, have developed an expanding population in the shallow soil that formed over shale bedrock at this site.  This is the only Blue Jay Barrens population of Bluehearts growing on low pH soil.

The work area was a tenth of an acre in size and required about an hour and a half to clear out the young Eastern Red Cedars and Virginia Pines that were invading.  I keep records of my management activities by identifying the work areas on an aerial photo and noting date, type of work, time spent and interesting observations.  This particular site sits between the township road on the right and a four acre field that I mowed back in November.  The green spot in the center of the work boundary is a mature Virginia Pine, the seed source for the little guys I cleared out.

While cedar seeds are typically spread by birds, pine seeds are more likely to be moved by wind.  Prevailing wind direction is predominately from the south-west.  Few pines are found on the south-west side of the tree.

On the other side of the tree, the down-wind side, pines far outnumber the cedars.

Virginia Pines are fast growing and can easily outperform the cedars.  They are also highly attractive to deer and suffer a lot of damage from the actions of territorial bucks.

The surrounding area is composed primarily of mixed oaks.  When I originally cleared the large cedars from this area 15 years ago, I thought of letting it all grow up in oaks.  The appearance of the Bluehearts a few years later caused me to change my mind in favor of the rarer plant.

This piece of ground was historically plowed and cropped.  The ground inclines steeply to the right at a point that marks an earlier field edge.  At some point, probably when the plow began bringing up the underlying shale, the farmer moved the field edge farther down the hill.  The mowed area seen in the left middle of the photo indicates the field as last cropped.

Weather conditions have been rough on the cedars.  Most of the small individuals have lost their green coloration and are brown enough to effectively hide in the long grass.

The completed job.

After the sun tracks farther north, these openings between the trees will be fully illuminated for most of the day.  The Bluehearts have been slowly making their way downhill and are just beginning to show up in the most recently cropped areas.

The township road can just be seen crossing the center of the photo.  An unexpected hazard for these plants is a vehicle failing to negotiate the 90 degree turn in the road and tearing down through the field.  Fortunately, the most likely place for someone to lose control runs them right into a large tree.  The tree bears many scars, old and new, and has a collection of headlight glass at its base.  So far, the only person to miss the tree failed to break through my fence.  The fence was a mess, but the field suffered no damage.  The mishaps have yet to inflict any damage to the vehicle passengers.

The most labor intensive part of the job was carrying all of the cut material 250 feet across the adjoining field to the brush pile.  With each trip to the brush pile, I thought about how nice the weather was and how relaxing it was to be out working.  With each trip back, I thought about the winter storm predicted for Sunday and Monday and the arctic air moving in for the rest of the week.  I wonder how long it’ll be before I have another day like this.

The old brush pile had almost rotted down to nothing.  An infusion of new cuttings is evidence that I’m still around and working.