Strike of the Salamander and the Birth of Flat Stanley

So far, I would say that Sunday, March 29th 2020 was probably the best herping day of my life.

The forecast for the day was going to be 61 and partly sunny, a little nicer than it had been the past few days. Even though we had been having such poor luck looking for salamanders, we had a spot in mind that we at least knew salamanders existed at. Last time I was there was ten months ago and I saw my first Red-backed Salamanders.
That morning I woke up and I honestly felt like it was going to be a good day of herping. I probably say this every time I plan to go herping, but it only sticks when it actually happens. Arriving at the site feels a little bit like trespassing since the trail entrance is at the end of a road right next to someone’s driveway. Because of the hidden nature of this site, I think only people who have been brought here even know it exists.
We walked to a T in the trail and took a right and started eyeing logs that were large enough to have things hiding under them but not so large that they would be to difficult to move. Without saying a word, Murphy and a I both went in different directions to begin flipping logs. I flipped my first one, did a quick scan and placed the log back in place, then moved on to my next log. I was standing, straddling the log and pulled it back while Murphy was talking to me from a distance. My eyes fluttered across the bare, wet soil beneath the log and settled on a brownish-red, curved object. I felt like I had been staring at it for minutes before I called to Murphy.
“Red-back!!”
She came running over. We both got some terrible photos, made sure the salamander was out of the way and placed the log back in its spot. I was beyond thrilled to have found my first salamander of the year, “under the third log flipped!” I said to Murphy. If that would’ve been the only salamander I saw that day, that would’ve been okay with me.

First Red-back Salamander seen at the site, showing its characteristic red back.

We moved closer to a vernal pool that was singing with Wood Frogs. I walked past several small to medium sized logs to check out a few very close to the pool, and while I was flipping, Murphy yelled for me. I turned and she was flipping a log I had walked past, confident that it didn’t have anything under it. But I was corrected; under it were four salamanders, three of which were Red-backs, one of which was a very small, juvenile Spotted, my lifer. To have that many salamanders come up under that log was like a dream come true for me. We relished in the moment and got a few pictures; Then came the logistics of putting the log back. Murphy was holding the log up so I was going to need to be the one to get the salamanders moved. This time of year, I fortunately was not wearing any sunscreen or bug spray on my hands, which can be detrimental to the health of amphibians. But the oils on human skin can still damage the skin of amphibians. So I went down to the vernal pool and got my hands wet to make it a little better for handling them. I gently picked up the Spotted, who seemed in no rush to even escape; the Red-backs were a little different and deployed their typical defensive behavior of thrashing about. This makes them a little more difficult to hang onto while trying to put their home back into place. After their log was placed back into its spot, I placed the salamanders at the edge of their log and gave them a nudge and they quickly scampered back under.

One of four Red-back Salamanders under this log. Notice how the tail is stubby; they have the ability to drop part or all of their tail as a defensive mechanism.

My lifer Spotted Salamander, this was a very small, but very cute individual. Unfortunately, still can’t take a good picture of a herp.

We moved along and continued flipping, eventually flipping some logs that were being used as trail edging at the top of a ridge. I flipped one log and under it was a stout salamander, with light blue speckling: a Blue-spotted Salamander.
“Ahhh! Murphy!!”
She ran over to see this gorgeous individual, not a large adult, but still a wonder. This represented another lifer for me.

The first Blue-spotted flipped and my lifer.

We continued to flip Red-back after Red-back, some displaying their namesake, while others were in “lead phase” lacking the typical red back. However, they all had one thing in common: a galaxy of tiny, light blue specks on their sides; absolutely fantastic to look at up close.

A very tiny Red-back salamander, lacking the red back and covered in speckles 

When I flipped this log, there was nothing underneath it, but then I peeked into the crevices and found this Red-back tucked away.

Murphy pulled back a large log that had likely been cut several years ago from a tree that was blocking the trail. Unlike the rest of the logs which were sitting on their sides, this one was in a group of them that were sitting like stools. Under it were three salamanders: one Blue-spotted and two large lead phase Red-backs. Like the other before it, the Blue-spotted barely made an attempt to escape while the Red-backs thrashed about. We moved them out of the way and placed their log back; it was a treat to see three pretty large salamanders under one log.

Larger Red-back found with another large Red-back and the second Blue Spotted

Weaving through the forest and hopping over creeks, we kept flipping and kept turning up Red-backs. Murphy walked up to a log near the creek, “that one’s money,” I said as I stepped across the creek to get a better look. Sure enough, a nice Blue-spotted was right in the center. This one turned out to be another low maintenance salamander, allowing us to take pictures and move it before placing its log back. This would be the last Blue-spotted of the day for us.

Near an old fallen tree, I went to take a step forward when Murphy said, “wait! Snake!” I looked to where she was pointing a few feet in front of me but it took my eyes a few seconds to recognize anything. A medium sized Eastern Garter was there amongst the leaf litter. Aware of our presence and our interest in it, it began to flatten its head and body, a tactic used amongst some snakes to make themselves seem bigger and a little scarier.
“Dang, he’s really flattening out,” I said.
Murphy responded, “Yea, he’s a Flat Stanley.”
“A Flat Stanley??” I said, laughing, “all snakes are now Flat Stanleys.”
I grabbed it for a quick picture and then let it go. We flipped for awhile longer and then called it a day. Hunger had set in and the little food we brought was still in the car. All in all we ended up with fifteen Red-backed Salamanders, three Blue-spotted salamanders, one Spotted salamander, and one Flat Stanley; this was a very good day.

Flat Stanley 

*When I remember, I try to submit all herp sightings in Michigan to the Michigan Herping Atlas. For sightings outside of Michigan, I submit them to HerpMapper. These platforms are a form of Community Science that assist states and other agencies in making population assessments.*