Although it never gets old to me, I hope it does not get old for whom ever is looking at these pictures (but I have yet to get any comments on my pictures, so maybe no one is looking), I have been showing this pond before. Well maybe the winter is getting old, it has been an amazing winter.
Coming home from 10 days on the road we got a forced day off, because it snowed throughout Virginia that Monday morning. Taking advantage of it we went for a walk out back. It was snowing and dark and somewhat spooky. Then to think, that the day before you could hear the salamanders in the pond. Since these are ephemeral ponds and dry during the summer, it is to the salamander's evolutionary advantage to try to breed during this season, but yes it seems counter intuitive. This pond is 5 to 6 feet deep in the middle and it dries up completely during the summer. If it had a permanent pool, you can expect fish to live in it and these fish would eat the baby salamanders, making breeding impossible in ponds with a fish population. In 2003 we saw the pond go from completely dry to overflowing overnight during hurricane Isabel. Most species would breed when it is a little warmer. I think bald eagles are also about to breed, and it is interesting how some of these species can do this in the cold; but then it is to their evolutionary advantage. Nature is neat, and as I say, nature (and evolution) is very parsimonious, and evolution has figured it out.
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