Big Night Hanging With the Herps

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Sunday night, April 10th, was a great night for hanging out with herps in Chittenden County. The weather was perfect: plenty of rain and temperatures in the 50's.

At the west end of Sherman Hollow there were Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs crossing.

West of Sleepy Hollow on Sherman Hollow Road there were more Spotted Salamanders crossing than I'd ever seen before. A local resident came over to share her enthusiasm about the crossings and her fondness for the herps. She also thoroughly enjoyed the increased visitation by Barred Owls coming around to partake of the amphibious buffet.

It was pouring, it was foggy and there were spotted salamanders crossing the road from the Sleepy Hollow area almost all the way to the west end of Sherman Hollow. I very slowly and carefully drove out of there then headed over to Pond Road south of Shelburne Pond.

On Pond Road, there were far more Spring Peepers than on Sherman Hollow, but the best sighting for me on the road were these two:A Northern water snake and a Toe Biter.

Back home at midnight, walking the dog on Taft Road, came upon this Pickerel frog; a nice way to end a great night out with the herps.

About ECHO

ECHO is a dynamic, nationally acclaimed, lake aquarium and science center committed to engaging diverse public audiences and providing experiential, relevant and lifelong educational experiences for all our guests. Founded in 2003, ECHO houses more than 70 species of live animal ambassadors in Vermont’s first LEED certified building. This innovative science center and aquarium displays life in the Champlain Basin and inspires visitors to positively impact the world around them. ECHO is the public face of the Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, a 2.7 acre environmental campus on the Burlington Waterfront.

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