Journal archives for September 2013

September 6, 2013

VAL Welcomes New Partner

Our newest partner, the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, has been gathering and disseminating reptiles and amphibian data in a way that involves and informs Vermont residents, landowners, and land managers so that they will become more informed and effective stewards of wildlife and its habitat. The Vermont Atlas of Life periodically exports and shares reptile and amphibian reports with the Vermont Herp Atlas.

In the spring of 1995 the Preliminary Atlas of the Reptiles and Amphibians of Vermont was first published. It was not meant to be a field guide or a source of natural history information but rather a set of maps showing the locations of documented reports of reptiles and amphibians in Vermont. It was distributed in hopes of motivating people to document the reptiles and amphibians that they were seeing. The data were needed to provide reliable information on which to base the conservation status of Vermont’s reptiles and amphibians and to provide a baseline of known distribution at the end of the 20th century. The database has now grown to include almost 85,000 records and their maps remain the standard source for Vermont herptile distribution information. The latest maps generated are on their website along with information on identification, useful resources, record Vermont lengths, calling times, photos of Vermont reptiles and amphibians, and a data entry portal. Check it out at http://vtherpatlas.org/.

Despite all the data that has been contributed over the past 18 years, there are still missing records of common species such as Snapping Turtles from 88 Vermont towns, and of Common Gartersnakes from 12 Vermont towns. Many of our older records are now considered historic (>25 years old) and need to be updated. So, keep those reports and photos of reptiles and amphibians coming.

With the onset of cooler weather, most snakes will be moving to denning areas. Frequently this requires crossing roads. Sadly, warm and sunny road surfaces are attractive locations for snakes to linger and raise their body temperatures after a cold night. As a result many are killed by traffic. Keep your eyes open for either living or dead snakes on roads, particularly on a sunny day after a cold night. Take a photo for your report. Then help the snake off the road if it is still alive. It is the best time of year to see snakes in the open.

Posted on September 6, 2013 12:58 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 1 comment | Leave a comment

September 10, 2013

August Photo-Observation of the Month Open for Voting!

With 2,294 observations submitted to the Vermont Atlas of Life in August, it certainly wasn't easy for July winner, Ron Payne, to select a few for us to admire. I think you'll agree though that he has found some eye-popping photo-observations!. As always, if you are reading this and are a registered iNaturalist observer, you can vote (once) by replying to this post with the number of the photo-observation you like best. We ask the winner to make the next month selections.

  1. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/368054
  2. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/371911
  3. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/370684
  4. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/358655
  5. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/371811
  6. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/380222
Posted on September 10, 2013 08:12 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 14 comments | Leave a comment

September 13, 2013

August Photo-Observation of the Month

Our August guest photo-editor, Ron Payne, selected some amazing photos. The most popular photo-observation by vote was a Brown-hooded Owlet (Cucullia convexipennis) caterpillar by Andrée Reno Sanborn. Check out this amazing species at http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/368054. Thank you to all of you for sharing your amazing observations. We can't wait to see what is found this month!

Posted on September 13, 2013 05:30 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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