Pulling a Tree, Hunting Salamander Eggs

The other day I helped Rob with pulling a tree out of the woods by the driveway. It’s one that fell last year, but we are just now getting around to retrieving it. During a break, I went hunting for salamander eggs in a little vernal pool not far away.

So, that’s what I did while he went back up to the house for the rock-flipper pry bar for moving the log over after he’d cut it loose from the root ball.

Found Salamander Eggs

The little pool of water where I suspected I might find some is in the landslide spot. There’s a spring farther up the hill that keeps this spot wet, usually. Apparently salamanders only lay eggs in still water and not in the creek.

When I hiked up to the pool, it was almost dry except for a small spot holding water. There was one gelatinous mass of eggs in the center of the wet spot.

I’m not sure, but I think these are spotted salamander eggs.

We Need Rain

I brought a gallon of water to them after seeing how dry the spot was, but it needs more water. This morning when I checked on them, the eggs had lost mass due to drying out. I don’t know if they’re still alive. But I gave them more water just in case.

Rain is in the forecast beginning this evening, but I don’t know if it will help now. I wish I had found them sooner so I could have brought water sooner.

Pulling a Tree

The tree that fell last year will most likely all go to firewood. It’s not really large enough for lumber. When trees fall and they’re not too rotten or hollow, Rob will use the lower part of the trunk for lumber. We always use the rest for firewood.

In this way, we rarely need to cut living trees. We did cut a few living ones recently to make space for Rob to build a solar dehydrator for lumber, and sometimes if two desirable trees are competing for the same space, we’ll cut one of them. I hate that, but one or both of them will be stunted if they’re both trying to occupy the same spot.

Other Observations

When I’m not actively helping, I wander the area. Here’s an ironwood tree. I love the fluted, muscular trunks on these trees. The wood is very dense. If you place your hands on them you can feel the strength.

After the tree came up onto the driveway, I looked at the soil that had been dragged with it. It looks rich and loamy. And then I noticed the little Ent tree, which is really just a stump of a small tree but has personality and a hairdo. And I found some acorn caps that are flat which will work well for holding watercolor paint or as berets and caps for my upcoming Forest Folk course at Skool.

A video edition of this Blog Post

I didn’t get any video of the salamander eggs, but I did add the photos and a voiceover. Some of the tree pulling video is in there, though.