Walking the gate roads of Quabbin requires a certain level of diligence to be sure not to step on red efts. Especially after a rain, they are almost as foolhardy with their existence as the earthworms that layabout the sidewalks in our neighborhood. It’s pretty hard to spend time looking for other things as one walks with the need to be on the lookout for these young eastern red-spotted newts or else take the chance on squashing them. The red eft phase can last anywhere from a few to seven years before they mature. 
Sometimes they are skittish but at others, if you approach them from eye level, they will allow a fairly close approach. Okay, eye level is almost impossible for a human with a camera, but I did get down with it.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
It’s a happy coincidence that what seem to be dry plant stems share a color with the eft.
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Pine needles. Happenstance.
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Very nice. I’ve always loved the look of salamanders and newts, but I don’t recall ever having the opportunity to photograph them. Great to hear you know right where to find them. Beautiful little creatures, they really stand out.
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These always look sleepy to me so I can relate. They are toxic so their lack of camouflage isn’t a problem.
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I always look forward to seeing these little guys!
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Although they are so brightly colored, seeing them is still a little challenging. I was pretty happy to see another…good start to spring.
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Somehow I missed the detail about how long it takes for them to mature. I’m sure you’ve mentioned it, but I probably was so entranced by the creature itself that I missed it. It’s interesting that orange so often signals danger: monarchs and milkweed bugs come to mind. Of course that’s not always true — I’d be dead if oranges were toxic.
Here’s a question. When you’re in the woods, especially if there’s dappled light and shade, do you ever set your camera for auto white balance? Are there other tricks for dealing with sudden changes from deep shadow to bright, full sunlight? I was in some woods on Sunday, and it was very windy, which meant that the plants went from full sunlight to deep shade and back again in seconds — and sometimes multiple times. It was something I don’t run into on the prairie, that’s for sure. There, it’s sunny, or it’s cloudy — when changes come, they’re fairly slow.
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Although there are so many options and depending on who you listen to and each has its appropriate lighting situation, I always leave my camera set to AWB and adjust in Lightroom or Camera Raw. If I am shooting an individual flower closeup in mixed lighting I’ll use a diffuser disk to even the lighting.
You’ve got to watch out for those oranges. While I am no fan of Monsanto, I do remember one ad of theirs that had a list of chemical ingredients a “mile” long. It was the makeup of orange juice. We eat a lot of clementines and mandarins. Your mention of monarchs brings to mind the viceroys. They are monarch mimics who take advantage of the monarch’s toxicity although they themselves are not.
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You sure DID get down! I’m impressed, and boy, he’s cute.
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I was impressed that I got back up. 🙂 They are cute with those beautiful eyes.
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