Creature Feature: Northern Red Salamander

Adult Northern Red Salamander

The Northern Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) is native to many areas along the east coast of the United States and is present in many aquatic habitats in a majority of the Appalachian mountains. This salamander tends to prefer slow moving streams containing few fish, mountain seeps, and can sometimes even be found in upland habitats near water.

The juvenile red salamander is exclusively aquatic and has external gills.  As the salamander grows the gills slowly shrink away and the brown juvenile attains a red color.  When the juvenile first turns red the color is usually very bright but tends to fade a bit with age.  The tail in the juvenile is also paddle-like to aid in aquatic locomotion where the adults tail is much more cylindrical in shape

Juvenile Red Salamander-Gills still present

Lesser Known Fact: The juvenile red salamander doesn't reach the adult stage until it is almost three years old!

A Weekend Away: Hiking the Croatan National Forest in NC

Hiking/Camping Dates: May 13-15, 2011

So the adventure starts with our seven hour drive down to North Carolina from Maryland.  Upon arrival we ran into a bit of a problem.  We had planned to camp for the weekend and the park doesn't take reservations for campsites in the forest so when we got to our first campsite option, Cedar Point, it was full.  The campsite here was more of an RV park actually.  So with two more campsites to choose from we headed over to the Neuse River campground only to find it was closed due to tornado damage. 

After that failure, we headed over to the Fisher’s Landing Campground.  The campground here didn't have much to offer, the toilet was a glorified outhouse and the only running water came from a water fountain with a spigot at the bottom.  The campground was really more of a field with some tables and fire rings set up but since this isn't a camping review site I will just say that we were able to set up camp and had a place to eat and sleep. 

Prince William Forest Park

Hike Date:  May, 8th, 2011

Pink Lady Slipper

If I (Ann) had to pick my favorite place to hike in the area for the shear pleasure of feeling the ground beneath my feet, this would be it.  Not only does it provide a great hike, there are many opportunities to view wildlife and wildflowers.

Prince William Forest Park is a National Park located in Southern Prince William County, Virginia, adjacent to Quantico Marine Corps Base.  It covers over 15,000 acres and is the largest preserved area of Piedmont in the National Park System.  With 37 miles of trails to choose from,  beautiful streams, and interesting geology we couldn't have been happier.  If you want to make a weekend trip out of it, there are numerous campsites and a few cabins available to use.

Catoctin Mountain Park

Hike Date:  April 14th, 2011

A short drive away from the Frederick county water shed is Catoctin Mountain and Cunningham Falls State Park.  Today we only visited Catoctin since we had a limited amount of time in the afternoon.  That is one great thing about the trails here.  Most are easily accessible by road and if you want to keep it short and sweet you totally can!  With our limited time we hiked up to Cat Rock and let me tell you this is one heck of a leg work out, especially if you are trying to shake the wintertime blues and haven't been hiking for a while! 

Frederick County Watershed

Hike date:  April 3, 2011



Rock Structure in the forest

If you are looking for a little variety in terrain look no further because the Frederick county watershed has it for you!  This place, aka the Frederick County Municipal Forest, offers everything from trout fishing, mountain biking, hunting, and hiking.  This location is extremely popular to all types of cyclists so if you are headed out on a weekend expect to be sharing trails with bikers.  On some occasions I have run into groups of 30 or more people out biking here.

More C & O Canal Adventures: From Point of Rocks, MD to the Lander Lockhouse

Hike Date:  Sunday, April 10th, 2011

Todays hike took us up to the Section of the C & O Canal towpath from Point of Rocks in Frederick County up the the Lander Lockhouse.  Hiking this time of year gives you the opportunity to see wildflowers blooming, and listen to all the frogs and toads calling.  Parking was minimal along train tracks so be prepared to parallel park.  As with all of hour hikes on the towpath, remember that you must walk back to where you parked.  Our hike was three miles each way.

Lander Lockhouse

Along the hike there are two lockhouses.  These served as homes for the lockmasters and their families.  They had to be available at all times to open locks for boats passing through.  While the C & O Canal was only operated between 1831 and 1924, many of the lockmasters families continued to live in the houses well into the middle part of the 20th century.  These lockhouses are now rented for overnight guests.

Trout Lily

Monocacy NRMA Civil War Trails

On Sunday, March 20th, we headed out to do some hiking in Frederick County, MD on some of the famous Civil War Trails in the area.  Our destination was the Monocacy NRMA.  The trails were a bit muddy, unmarked, and there were also some creeks to cross so boots are recommended on this one.  We walked around for a while and discovered an old lime kiln along the trail. After a quick look at this piece of history we continued our adventure along the trail.

Creature Feature: Spotted Salamander

The spotted salamander is classified as a type of mole salamander. This is a group of salamanders that spends most of their life underground which is what makes them so difficult to find unless the time of year is just right to find them! During the spring these salamanders migrate to pools of water where they will meet, breed, lay their eggs and then return back to land and move back underground only to repeat the process next year! The baby salamanders grow underwater and actually have external gills.  After a few weeks these gills will decrease in size until they are completely gone and the spotted salamander young will join their parents in the underground lifestyle.

Lesser Known Fact: These little critters are mildly poisonous and many predators that try to eat them usually give up after a few bites due to their horrible taste!

To Blackwater and Back Again: A Hiker’s Tale by Francis and Ann

We decided to start our hiking adventures this year by heading off to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  We headed out Sunday, February 5th around 8 a.m. with sunny skies and a high temperature of 45 degrees. The drive down there took about two hours and took us across the Bay Bridge.  Our first trip there was last summer. 

Blackwater NWR boasts 25,000 acres of brackish tidal wetlands, evergreen and deciduous forest, and freshwater impoundments.  The visitor’s center offers a butterfly garden and viewing station for one of the many Osprey nests.