Indiana County's Amish and Mennonite communities operate numerous one room school houses. As we drive throughout the County we notice that recess, no matter the weather, is a big part of the school day. Baseball, volleyball, kickball and other games are popular activities.
Mid-March is when we anticipate the reemergence of the Spotted Salamanders to begin their migration to vernal pools in Indiana County. They have already been sighted in counties to our south and with a few more warm rainy nights they should begin to leave their burrows. Posted March 14, 2015.
The Eastern Red-Spotted Newt is found throughout our park system and in many local ponds. The phase shown here is known as the Eft phase. After the eggs hatch the larval newt transforms into this phase where it will spend anywhere from 2 to 7 years on land before returning to the pond to live out its remaining adult life - a complicated life for a small amphibian. This is one of the few salamanders that can be seen out walking about during the daytime. The bright red color is a warning to predators that they do not taste good and, in fact, can be toxic.
