As a young boy, nothing thrilled me more than rolling over stones and rotting logs to see that amazing life lived beneath them. And the greatest thrill came when I found spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). I thought they were simply magnificent, and I collected them with glee, typically housing them in a terrarium for a few days, and then releasing them. Then I was back on the hunt again. The overwhelming majority of spottters (as I called them) were juveniles no more than three inches long. And imagine my astonishment on those rare days when I found one a whopping five inches long. I actually had a series of favorite logs and rocks, and every few days I would run the circuit, like a trapper checking his trap lines. Back then, I had no idea that with my method I would never find a full-grown adult, for they lived deeply hidden in places that I simply would not search in. I didn’t know about, Big Night, that wondrous and special night each spring when conditions were perfect for the incredible migration of amphibians from their hidey holes to the vernal springs of their youth. Decades later, I learned about big night, and have been going out every April, on that one special night (ground thawed, temperature above 40, raining), to look for mature spotters, and help them cross our country roads safety. For many years, until her marriage, I did this with my daughter Amanda, who has now, alas, moved away with her husband. This year’s Big Night was as perfect as I have ever seen, and the numbers of mature spotters, some as long as nine inches, was astronomical. Back in the studio for a quick late-night shoot, this mid-size adult was the only one out of the six that I brought home who would cooperate. The largest ones were simply too wiggly! I put them all back in their vernal pool shortly after their studio session, and now I eagerly await Big Night 2021.
Here is the big flickr version.
Meta: Pentax K-3, 35mm f/2.8 leans at f/10, ISO 100, 1/160th of a second, key light, reflectors, spray bottle (to keep everything pleasantly moist so no harm would come to my friend)
