From our friends at the VT Reptile & Amphibian Atlas:
Your help is Needed to Document the Distribution of Reptiles and Amphibians in Vermont
Wood Frogs have been photographed in nearly every town, city, gore, and grant in Vermont except for Newport Town!
The Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas is seeking photo submissions or recordings of Wood Frogs from Newport Town. They have reports of Wood Frogs from all towns, cities, gores, and grants in Vermont except Newport Town. They have reports of Wood Frogs within Newport City boundaries, but not from outside the city but within the town boundaries. They are confident that Wood Frogs are found within Newport Town, it is just that they have not yet been documented. They encourage you to document this species in Newport Town and help them fill in this distribution gap in their maps.
The Vermont Reptile (snakes, turtles, and one lizard) and Amphibian (frogs and salamanders) Atlas is an effort begun in 1994 by the Reptile and Amphibian Scientific Advisory Group to the Vermont Endangered Species Committee. Their initial goal was to gather the information needed to make informed recommendations regarding the conservation of Vermont’s reptiles and amphibians. Since then, the goals of the “Herp Atlas” have expanded to gathering and disseminating data on the reptiles and amphibians of Vermont in a way that involves and informs Vermont individuals and organizations. Their hope is that contributors will become more informed and effective stewards of wildlife habitat. You can help by photographing or recording the reptiles and amphibians that you see, and sending records and photos to them through their website at VtHerpAtlas.org.
They can come in many shades of brown, but they always have a black mask, dorsolateral ridges, and black “backpack straps” on their shoulders. Photo submitted to the atlas by Cindy Sprague.
In Orleans County, it should be fairly easy to fill in a gap in their distribution maps by confirming the presence of Wood Frogs in Newport Town. Wood Frogs are an almost solid brown, medium-sized species of frog that can easily be identified by their black, raccoon-like mask, dorsolateral ridges (folds of skin running down both sides of its back), a white upper lip, and black “backpack strap” like markings on each shoulder. Wood frogs travel from upland hardwoods to vernal pools, beaver ponds, and man-made ponds to breed and lay their eggs as spring night-time temperatures get above freezing and the ponds begin to show some open water. They are the earliest frogs to start calling in the spring, even before the Spring Peepers. Their characteristic, duck-like quack or chuckle is very different from other frog calls. Wood Frogs can easily be found by walking quiet back roads near wetlands on the first warm, rainy nights of spring when they are migrating to ponds and wetlands. If you try this, be sure to wear reflective or light-colored clothing, carry a bright flashlight, and watch out for traffic. If you would rather not go out on rainy nights, Wood Frogs can also be found by following their calls during the two weeks or so that they remain in their breeding ponds. They are very common in Vermont, but we still need photo documentation of them from Newport Town!
A Wood Frog showcasing her black mask, and her right dorsolateral ridge and black “backpack strap” on the right shoulder. Photo submitted to the atlas by E. Talmage.
Other gaps in reptile and amphibian documentation from Orleans County that you could help with, are reports of Eastern Newts from Barton, Brownington, Coventry, Jay, and Newport City; and Painted Turtles from Glover, Troy, and Westfield. If you would like to see the list of common reptiles and amphibians that need to be documented from your town, visit:
https://www.vtherpatlas.org/priorities-data-gaps/common-vermont-species-that-need-documentation/
and type in the name of your town.
If you would like to learn more about the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas visit their website at VtHerpAtlas.org. If you would be willing to help with amphibian conservation and make a valuable addition to the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas database, you can report what you see by using their online form at: https://www.vtherpatlas.org/sighting-submission-form/ . Photos are ideal, but they also accept recordings of calls. Photos, videos, and audio recordings can be easily made using a smartphone.
They would love to have your help filling in their data gaps. You could be the first to document a Wood Frog from Newport Town, an Eastern Newt from Barton, or a Painted Turtle from Glover.