You’re probably familiar with the basic amphibian life plan: Start as a wriggly, water-breathing tadpole, transform into an adult that breathes air. This is the pattern followed by all our frogs and ...

Bright colors on an otherwise green or brown forest floor can get our attention. Normally the growing space beneath a woodland canopy does not have the colorful flowers we can see in spring. When ...

The Eastern newt is one of nature’s stranger salamanders. As a larva, it has gills and lives in the water. As a 5-inch-long adult, it has no gills but still lives in the water. But as a juvenile, in ...

The eastern U.S. is the world’s salamander hotspot, with more species per area than anywhere else on the planet. Often superabundant, salamanders hold important ecological roles in their habitats.

Story by Sandy de Waal Malefyt * Photo by Jim de Waal Malefyt Bright colors on an otherwise green or brown forest floor can get our attention. Normally the growing space beneath a woodland canopy does ...

This year, of course, spring came in February. That's when Kane County Forest Preserve District Naturalist Josh Libman was hiking at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles and spotted something ...

Sometimes smooth, sometimes slippery, but always unique. Introducing one of the most interesting salamander relatives: newts. Newts are found in Europe, Asia, and North America. This lizard-frog ...

It has been a long, wet, raw May, and my outdoor time has been curtailed by rotten weather on the weekends. So, it was with the utmost enthusiasm that I capitalized on a rare rain-free Saturday ...

Some Iowa City Community School District students snagged an interesting find on a recent nature field trip: a rare Central newt. Kids normally net an assortment of turtles, frogs and snails during ...

You’re probably familiar with the basic amphibian life plan: Start as a wriggly water-breathing tadpole, transform into an adult that breathes air. This is the pattern followed by all our frogs and ...