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“It’s Saturday morning. It’s fucking cold and my shoulders hurt. The overnight low dipped to near freezing. Regardless, it’s morning, birdsongs fill the soundscape, and I’m eager to embark on another day’s adventure in the Piney Woods of deep East Texas.”  

– RLS, 8 Jan 2021

#herptx21 Status: 6 speciesTarget Species: Spotted, Marbled, Mole, and Dusky Salamander, Gulf Coast Waterdog, Pickerel Frog

Erin and I are camping at the Indian Mounds Campground just east of Hemphill. This portion of the Sabine National Forest is bound by the western shore of Toledo Bend Reservoir. Somewhere towards the center of the lake is the state line. Everything beyond is Louisiana. The campground is serving as our weekend headquarters as we continue our search for a handful of salamanders unique to this part of Texas. Part 1 available here.

We continue to benefit from the local knowledge of Matt, Caro, and Adam who are also camping. And, today, we’ll be adding depth to the team as Scott Wahlberg, another strong naturalist and herper, joins us.

But First, A Quick Admission

Last night, our group came together around the glow and radiance of a shared campfire. Warm, fed, and imbibed on good beer, we strike off on rambling conversation hitting many welcomed topics of natural history, conservation, East Texas ecology, and loose goal-setting for the next day. After so many months of limited in-person engagement, my content is high. I am energized and excited and hopeful – all at once. Sadly, the late of the night is apparent despite the ease of conversation.  We all know what we hate to admit – it is time for sleep.  

Saturday Morning

At least I thought it was time for sleep. My journal entry says it all – I suffer through cold and ache. As much my fault as any because I stubbornly refuse to get off my cot and fetch my down bag – another data point survived while placating foolish notions of rugged hardiness. Mornings like these require coffee and some movement. Fortunately, we have packed generous reserves of Chameleon Cold Brew (not just good coffee, but excellently strong coffee) and I’m moved to motion by the conversations of many interesting birds. 

Matt and I agreed on a rough plan last night. We’ll spend today targeting more East Texas salamanders and we’ll gain Scott en route to our first spot. Scott is obviously less intimidated by the cold than Erin and me – showing up in swimming trunks and flip-flops. Dude is just unphased – an attitude I’ll adopt… eventually.

Our first stop is at the edge of the forest. We park the caravan near a gated two-track road and then hike a half-mile or so into beautiful long-leaf pine parkland. More for Erin and me, Matt reminds the group to keep eyes and ears out for Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCWO) – an endangered species that rely on healthy long-leaf pine savannah and the fire management that is necessary to maintain it. We don’t definitively make out any RCWO but share some excitement over a suspect woodpecker in the distance.Our destination in these woods is a small woodland pond. We are looking for Mole Salamanders and Pickeral Frogs. The process requires someone (Scott) to get into the water and shuffle around with a sturdy dipnet – which he does admirably and with knowing technique. Despite the effort and the presence of at least a few salamander egg masses – we all come up empty-handed. Yes, even Erin and I make awkward little attempts with our dinky little folding net from the shallows of the pond margins. No problem though, we adjust and transition – expanding our search radium and exploring a bit more on the hike out. Adam discovers a gorgeous juvenile Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus – Big Year Species #7) that proves incredibly photogenic and cooperative.

Back at the trailhead, the group takes a nice lunch break – sharing stories while enjoying the squeaky dog toy song of Brown-headed Nuthatches overhead. Our next stop on the day’s itinerary will introduce Erin and me to a beautiful and dramatic habitat type that is at once familiar and foreign – East Texas spring head ravines. 

Spring-fed Ravines

We strike out on a narrow forest trail and it isn’t long before Scott says “This is it.” while surveying a relatively deep sloping woodland cut by a series of spring-fed streams. If I squint my eyes I can almost get the sense I’m looking over the mesic sloped woodlands of my own Hill Country haunts where Western Slimy Salamander (Plethodon albagula) abound. But the similarity ends there. The trees, soil, and smells are completely different and the critter we’re looking our for is the Spotted Dusky Salamander. I’m not confident in where exactly I should look. So, I project what I do know and get to flipping logs and branches.

Almost immediately Matt finds the first target salamander. It’s such a neat little critter that is so closely tied to specific niche wetland habitats and soil types in East Texas – habitats that are both limited and threatened by factors like land use, groundwater use, and climate change. At first glance, this salamander appears unremarkable and muted but closer inspection reveals contrast, pattern, and color. Individuals are variable but some will show an impressive stripe of autumn red coloration along the back half and tail. 

I spend well over an hour searching along the various drainages of this site. I’m unable to turn up any salamanders despite searching along great-looking spring runs. But – Scott is helping me refine my search image and radius which is as important to me as actually finding a salamander (thank you, Scott). Despite it all, we have success as a group. In addition to Matt’s salamander Adam discovers an additional three or so (that dude is turning out to be a complete hoss and good luck charm). I transition to photographing salamanders and grab a few decent images as a baseline to improve upon.

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With decent daylight remaining, we continue hiking down the trail eventually ambling upon a seepy slope with some scattered downed wood. With a better-developed search image, I see a very attractive piece of wood that almost calls out to me. Scott and I turn it over and find two more Dusky Salamanders and the day ends on the sweetest of high notes – a handful of one of Texas’ most cryptic and range-restricted terrestrial salamanders. 

Part 3 of the Salamander Saga coming soon.

	Species	Date	Location
1	Blanchard’s Cricket Frog	1/2/2021	Moonfire Ranch
2	Valdina Farms Salamander	1/2/2021	Moonfire Ranch
3	American Bull Frog	1/4/2021	Hall’s Bayou Hunting Club
4	Spotted Salamander	1/8/2021	East Texas
5	Marbled Salamander	1/8/2021	East Texas
6	Dwarf Salamander	1/8/2021	East Texas
7	Five-lined Skink	1/9/2021	East Texas
8	Dusky Salamander	1/9/2021	East Texas