“Walking the Land” is written by Becky Dill, an amateur naturalist, photographer and Paw barista.
I hiked to my favorite ephemeral pond in the Polkton area this week, looking for spotted salamander egg masses. Woot, woot, there were plenty!
Instead of seeing newly laid round eggs in the large jelly-like mass, you can see they are actually looking quite larval-shaped now. I think they will be hatching very soon. Notice the green color in the photo above – they have a symbiotic relationship with an algae that provides oxygen for the larvae as they develop.
The adult spotted salamanders return to their birth pond to lay their eggs, often attaching them to a stick or branch. This pond fills in the winter, and by May or June it is dry (that’s why they are called ephemeral ponds). Because no fish can live in that water this makes it perfect for the salamanders, as fish would gobble these larvae right up!
Sixty days after they have hatched, the larvae will have undergone several changes. They will climb out of the pool, crawling under leaf litter or rocks, happily eating small insects until the cycle starts again next winter.
Have you ever come across one of these ephemeral ponds? They can be the size of a puddle or the size of a large pond. I encourage you to hike out to your pond this weekend and look for any round egg masses submerged in the water. Good luck!