Overcast day again with a small amount of rain sprinkled in. Decided to go back to Tuscarora State Park and take Penny on some trails I haven't been on in awhile. I collected about as much trash as I expected at the first site and decided to take two more short walks around highly trafficked areas of the park.
Had to watch out for juvenile American Toads that seemed to be everywhere. They were under the size of a quarter, most likely from this years eggs. It is starting to get colder, but keep in mind amphibians are still out there. Watch your step.
By a stream within the park I came across this Two-lined Salamander. Like the American Toad, it is a common species which I have mentioned before. Always nice to see though.
Largest piece of trash by the stream. This corrugated piece of plastic was originally used to protect a newly planted tree from predation. Most likely the tree did not make it and it ended up blowing into the stream. This is one product that really should be made from biodegradable materials.
The largest amphibian of the day. A Green Frog.
Penny on the trail. She still has no interest in picking up trash, but really wanted to go after every squirrel and chipmunk we passed by. This is new, she ignored them before and was only interested in larger creatures.
I found two acorn caps upside down and next to each other and for some reason had to use leaves to make an owl out of it. I would like to point out that you can make little surprises like this on trails and they do not harm anything as long as you only use already fallen materials. Making rock piles is uncool because you are disturbing habitat and spray painting things is extremely uncool because you are the only one who wants to see your image there. So if you feel you need to leave something behind, use leafs and acorn caps.
I was photographing a grouping of fungus right below this when I noticed something in this tree. You may have to click on the photo and enlarge it to see. There is a Redback Salamander in the knot in the tree. I found it odd, it was about two feet up, not covered by anything and it was windy. Generally under windy conditions Redbacks and amphibians in general tend to find cover and I have never seen a Redback in a tree before.
Some brighter colors in the cove with the boat launch. The dam is to the far right.
An interesting fungus on a log underneath a small Hemlock.
Was happy to only find this tiny bit of trash on the right side of the launch cove. The area is not only used by boaters, but the end of the cove is a popular fishing site.
I can tell you that this is a bug. It does not have wings, this means it is a juvenile. Juvenile coloration and even body shape can vary from the adult so I can not even begin to look up what species it might be.
A view from the opposite side of the boat launch cove as the last foliage photo. Wonder what it is going to look like in another week.
If you enjoy this blog and the work I am doing to clean up Eastern PA and would like to see me continue into 2016 you can contribute at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash
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