Eastern red-spotted newt (red eft)
Massachusetts
Notophthalmus viridescens
On a damp summer morning these amazing orange amphibian can be found in abundance along forest trails near my home. I have a very clear early childhood memory of spending an afternoon in the forest searching for creatures and once finding one of these under a log. I thought it was a toy until it moved!!!! (this was before the internet,google and iPhones so getting an ID took a little while :-)) That joy that filled me then still fills me today! I feel so very lucky to know some of the amazing creatures that wander the forest with me. Photo © copyright by Patrick Zephyr.