March 17, 1983 - The Elusive SalamanderMarch 17,1983 The NeW5- Review Page 13
The Elusive Salamander
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
Most of us are acquainted with the
birds and the flowers we have here on the
East End but few know of the shy and
secluded salamanders that eke out a
living in the wet or damp places through-
out our woods. Some might have seen
salamanders in pet shops, where they are
sold as curios for the public. Fish -like
with a long tail, they have four pairs of
legs that let them get along on land as
well as in the water. Like all amphibians,
they are cold blooded and have to await
the warming of the earth before starting
to move. Usually this is about mid -March
or early April, when the salamanders are
on the move to the vernal ponds for
breeding. Most but not all salamanders
lay their jelly -like masses of eggs during
these early dates while others merely
deposit their eggs under a damp rock or
log. Once hatched, the young must fend
for themselves.
Our purpose was to see if this migra-
tion to the ponds in Moore's Woods had
started. Evidently we were too early, for
we touched all the likely spots and found
no evidence of salamanders. The one we
were particularly looking for was the
spotted salamander, a three to four inch
long, shiny, smooth black salamander
with irregular yellow spots. Not finding
any we took the opportunity to re-
acquaint ourselves with one of the East
End's best and oldest forested areas.
Sun Warms Us
By the time we were in the woods, the
sun was starting to warm up and the
etchings of ice that had tried to claim
some of the ponds had given up and
started their retreat. A cardinal pro-
claimed his territory from the top of a
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M�IQMTq
giant swamp maple, while a titmouse
called off to the south of us in the still
bare woods.
The multiflora rose that lined one
section of the roadway had already
started pushing out its leaves, and now
with this added warmth of the sun they
would surely burst out. The crushed shell
roadways that wander through Moore's
Woods vouch for the shellfish industry
that thrived years ago in Greenport for
they had used the shells of the surf clam
as a roadway. Its white path led us on.
What with all the rainy weather we've
had there were riverlets and ponds
everywhere. As Barbara and I walked on
and on in the woods we got the feeling it
was awakening from winter's long sleep.
Buds on the trees and bushes all swelled
with energy and here and there were the
green and maroon mantles of the skunk
cabbage with their flowers clustered
inside. This flower is the first to bloom in
our woods. Few, if any, ever take notice
of it. One has to get down on hands and
knees to see it, and even then it's hard to
recognize it as a flower. Yet during a
warm spell, some insect will venture out
and pollinate this lowly plant so it can
again accomplish its mission of repro-
duction. The reason the skunk cabbage is
so early is because of its chemical
makeup that truly warms the frozen
earth so the plant can propagate before
all others. Later the flowers will be lost
beneath the huge green leaves that this
plant is famous for.
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SPOTTED SALAMANDER- -These elusive amphibians inhabit the damp
and wet areas of our woodlands. Sometime in March they come out of
hibernation to mate and lay eggs in a vernal pond.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
Crows were calling to the west so we As each year goes by, areas like
followed their cries. I caught a glimpse of Moore's Woods will become more and
the bird they were harassing but not more valuable as a resource for all to
enough to make a positive identification. enjoy because there will be less and less
Perhaps it was a red - tailed hawk or more woodland left undeveloped. If properly
likely their archenemy, the great horned managed, this magnificent area could be
owl. Years ago I know they nested in the one of the attractions on the East End
west of the woods, but then who knows. that could be enjoyed by all.
Thorp nra nthar crane li4a thn Mich
Small Trees Cut
The one disappointing thing I found
was that many trees had been cut
throughout the woods. Lots of small ones
and many big ones. The idea of letting
people cut dead wood is sometimes
reasonable, but I'm afraid there are
those that take advantage and cut live
trees as well. The evidence was every-
where. Like so many things, it takes only
one bad apple to ruin it for all the others.
Years ago there was a very ambitious
trail system and educational facility
created for the Moore's Woods area by
Greenport teacher Charles Jantzen. It
received a Presidential Citation. It is still
there, but has been partly vandalized and
misused.
sections along the Peconic River, or the
vast stretches of the State Park in Orient,
or the quiet paths of the Cranberry Bog in
Riverhead, that need to be thought about
as well. These areas in time will be the
center focus of what's left of our natural
world and they could well become as
important as the seashore, marshes or
bays that surround us.
It's like so many things -- when you live
with them all around you, they become so
common place you sometimes forget how
rare and beautiful they are. Should
tourism be what this end of the island is
looking for, it would do us well to treat
these areas with the highest respect, for
once destroyed they can never be
replaced.
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