FeatureD Favorites

Here’s a collection of some of my favorite shots!

November: Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

I find few things quite as exciting as gently rolling over a log to see a salamander peering back at me from under the damp debris. This woodland salamander is aptly named for the brick red-orangey stripe down its back. Salamanders in the Family Plethodontidae are lungless; they breathe and absorb oxygen exclusively through their moist skin, a process called cutaneous respiration. This species is among the most abundant in New York, having a total biomass greater than many other vertebrates in the forest. These salamanders play an important part in nutrient cycling by preying on the invertebrate populations, many of which graze on fungus. Threats to this species include logging and the introduction of the infectious amphibian disease chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal)–a relative to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which has decimated frog populations around the world.

November: Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)

Today was a pretty awesome day - I stood out by our feeder since we’ve had a huge flock of Pine Siskins in our pine trees. After standing still by the feeder for a while they became comfortable around me and soon enough were landing on my head, the end of my lens, and a two brave ones (and one rogue chickadee) even ate seeds out of my hand. They tend not to mind each other’s company, frequently descending all at once in a flurry of yellow wing markings. Every couple of years, Pine Siskins make unpredictable movements called irruptions into southern and eastern North America - though I hope they stay around for a while.

October: Yellow Daylily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus)

This beautiful daylily opened up just before the rain came on a dewy morning. Though they look very similar, daylilies (Hemerocallis) are not true lilies (Lilium). Daylilies have long, flat strap-shaped leaves growing from the soil line and flower and flowers only bloom for one day. True lilies grow from one central, unbranched stem with leaves along the entire length of the stem; blooms lasts a week or more.

September: Hyla sp.

Sometimes great shots just fall right out of the sky. This gray treefrog sat perfectly still for ~10 minutes while I constructed a makeshift tripod to get the long exposure I needed to get a clean shot. Gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) and Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chysoscelis) are generally indistinguishable in the field and share range and habitat. So species identification been problematic. Cope's treefrog reportedly has a faster trill in its call and half the number of chromosomes. Both species are nocturnal – hiding in tree holes, under bark, in rotten logs, under leaves during the day before emerging at night to search for insects. Additionally, both species have several layers of chromatophores (pigment-containing cells) that enable them to change color; they may be gray, brown, greenish or white.