We are trying to create and protect living soils on our farm by not using synthetic insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Living soils have millions of live beneficial bacteria, fungus, and microorganisms that we humans can't see without a microscope.
Here's one type of creature you can see without a microscope- what a good indicator of soil health!
Salamanders have specific habitat preferences and don't like to be disturbed.
Nancy, a friend at the Hickory market, named it Herman.
What a beautiful salamander!
We successfully caught it, transported back to the farm, and released the salamander in a nice damp spot with plenty of rotting leaves.
We're so happy that we can find this sort of amphibious evidence of the benefits of our careful land stewardship. Go Herman the salamander!
I haven't been able to indentify the species of salamander! We have so many species in North Carolina.
Here's some more infor about salamanders ...from http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/salamanders/salamanders.html
Salamanders (Order Caudata) are a diverse group of amphibians. They can be found in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, though water is essential for survival. Most salamanders are nocturnal and can be found under rocks and fallen trees. North Carolina has an amazing abundance of salamanders because of its diverse geography from mountains to coastal swamps. Some species are indigenous to only North Carolina and thus need to be conserved. One such family of salamanders is the Plethodontidae family. This family constitutes more than 90% of salamanders and the southeast U.S. has more plethodontids than anywhere else in the world!
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