Observaciones de lotteryd

I surprised a largish/healthy one with broad/bright yellow stripes sunbathing on the walkway pic1 adjacent to a retaining wall area. It made a quick threatening move, but then fled off the path and apparently down an opening along the top of the wall. Its tail end was last seen between the mustard family plant pic2 and the nipped redbud.

Pic is taken from another obs from same location this season, to show the location and the duff at the location (ignore the mushroom that had been there earlier). I always figured the pine needle duff was too pointy for salamander skin. But on the deer trail along the top of the hill, I accidentally dislodged a well-seated small rock and found a salamander wriggling underneath! It had a light stripe down the back, but I could not grasp it nor make out the color in the shadow of the hole, before it vanished down its side tunnel. Under the dry top layer of duff (shown in photo) there was a soft moist layer of older material.

I checked a couple of similar stones down the hill and only found an earthworm (small kind that a salamander might eat).

A long time ago... Mission: Impossible, prequel mission 0.1. FAILED by ;) more than once.

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