The Wehrle's Salamander was first discovered in Indiana County in 1911. Since then the population continues to live here in scattered hillside areas throughout the County. This group included five adults and one juvenile. One of the adult females had visible eggs in her belly. The eggs are laid deep in rocky crevices and have only been seen by researchers in the wild on one occasion. Their large eyes help with their nighttime vision, when they forage for food. The salamander in the lower the photo is a male. Males have cirri, which are small downward projections from the nostrils that are thought to play are role in chemoreception.
The waters of Blue Spruce Park eventually empty into Crooked Creek at point just downstream of this location. The bright blue object in the photo is a gas well holding tank - a familiar site throughout Indiana County where we have over 16,000 natural gas wells. That's one well for every five people.
After finding this dead turkey in the woods we were able to do a close inspection of the intricate pattern of its head and feathers.
