Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Dabney S. Lancaster Community
College
Clifton Forge, Virginia
After three years sampling Buck Run Trail, this year we decided to sample on Locust
Spring Run. The top of the trail is in a dense spruce forest.
At our first site (elevation 3600 ft), we review our sampling protocol.
Searching for salamanders along Locust Spring Run Trail.
After sampling, we brought our salamanders (temporarily kept in plastic
bags) to Jane and Josh and reviewed species identification.
Josh examines an interesting salamander -- and it turned out to be a species we've
never seen in Laurel Fork before!
Our new find: the 4-Toed Salamander
A close-up look at a 4-toed foot.
The belly of this salamander is distinctive - white with large black spots.
The lower part of Locust Spring Trail is in deep, dark deciduous woods.
This lovely fungus is Ganoderma tsugae, or Hemlock Varnish Shelf. It grows on
hemlock logs, or occasionally on other conifer logs. The species name "tsugae"
comes from the genus name of hemlocks, Tsuga.
Return to Salamander Study Trip Page