Night of the Tiger Salamander

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Each year, tiger salamanders spend much of the spring, summer and fall foraging for food in the ditches, fields and forests surrounding Voas Nature Area. Then on a cool, damp (often rainy) night in October, we can witness sometimes hundreds of them migrating back to the Voas wetlands, where they overwinter buried under the mud.

We can't predict the exact date this will happen.  What we can do is keep our eyes on the weather, roads and trails, and post it when the conditions are right and we see them on the move.  

Time and experience have taught us that yes,
- more salamanders are seen at night than during the day, and
- most salamanders seem to migrate within an approximately 24 hour period.  
If there is a prolonged wet or dry fall, the migration period can be longer.  

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