Despite being back in the freezing temperatures, there is a woodland creature that is already preparing for spring… Salamanders!

Now you may be wondering why in the world a cold-blooded animal already is out and about in the month of February, but they have their reasons.

Salamanders, such as the small-mouth salamander, are known to come out of their hibernation underground at the first warm rain, which we had this past week. Salamanders will go to their ancestral breeding pool during the first few warm rains and will mate, lay their eggs, and then back underground. This has been the case for our beloved small-mouth salamanders and several have been spotted this past week. The salamanders, now, have either burrowed for their safety in their breeding pool, waited for the next warm rain, or have sadly been caught in the freeze.

Be aware that we will be closing a few of our roads in the back loop of Wesselman Park during any rainy spells from now, until the end of March.