I visited Bear Swamp in Ashfield, MA the other day looking for orchids that were mentioned to me by a friend. I went to the wrong part of the fen at first but did eventually find the orchid on my way out although it was quite spent at that point. But my first stop did find a Helleborine (a non-native orchid) still in bud for a possible visit this weekend. And I also came across this lovely little orange crawler who posed patiently for me.
Although orange, these are red efts, the immature version of eastern or red-spotted newts-Notophthalmus viridescens. I usually have to watch my step as I walk trails in the Quabbin Watershed as they are everywhere. But I only saw this one in the swamp and it was in this little seep requiring me to muddy myself to get almost to eye level. The skin contains tetrodotoxin which isn’t very tasty to a predator so I guess they aren’t very fearful. I say posed patiently, but it moved a lot more than most of the others I have photographed making me crawl around to get compositions. I actually ended up lying on my side for this exposure. He/she would hold still for a second or two giving me opportunities.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
I remember seeing them in the PA mountains when I was a kid. I haven’t seen one for a long time. Down here on the Gulf Coast we are crawling with green and brown anoles.
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No anoles here. We don’t have much for lizards in the Northeast.
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I know them, and the other salamanders from the northern woods. I have never seen one in the Lowcountry. However, Newts are listed as being here, which makes sense. What we have more of is the Siren, and many in the 2 foot range, some up to 3 feet. Great shot and obviously tells a story. Had me looking anyway 😀
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A three foot newt might be a scary encounter. Thanks, Ted.
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😂😂, more like an eel with tiny legs. The only time I see them is when a big Heron catches one…and that’s a fight !
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I remember how startled I was the first time I saw one of your eft photos. They still startle me; that color is quite something.
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When walking on a trail in the woods it is sometimes challenging to step around and not on them, they can be so numerous. I’ve never seen a red one so how they are not orange efts I don’t know.
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Love the colour of the red eft.. it’d be amazing to see these bits of brightness running around in the swamp area!
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Although they are common, I am always excited to find and photograph them, Liz. Glad you enjoyed seeing this.
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Lying on your side to get a side view: how appropriate.
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Sometimes lying down on the job is a good thing.
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You captured it so well!
But kind of scary with sudden encounter of a orange coloured crawling creature.
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Thank you. These are so small they are not too frightening. Easy for me to say. 🙂
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I can understand Steve.You definitely love anything which your camera captures😊
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I hope that it shows, Deeksha. That is the best way to make a photograph.
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Indeed
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I’m sorry, but I’m having a lot of fun imagining you slowly maneuvering around in various prone positions to get the perspective you envisioned. I’ve done that so many times, and I’ve found that the rewards are usually quite adequate to the effort. Yours certainly paid off here.
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No apology needed. I am glad you find such positions not only amusing but advantageous. It’s not that hard when the ground is wet and mushy to slide around following a subject. Glad that you find the result rewarding, Gary. Thanks.
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Cor, what a spectacular little creature! And I love the name – sounds like it should be an exclamation – ‘What the eft was that?!’
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I believe that is indeed an exclamation…humorous of course. 🙂 They are very cool and ubiquitous to wet woods around here..
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Hehe! Sounds even better if you include the red in the exclamation. (Didn’t think of that when I first commented.)
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Fetching portrait. Can’t think of a newt without thinking of this:
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I’d forgotten that scene. Unfortunately, Newt brings a different picture to mind.
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Just as toxic.
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Nice Steve! Very colorful! Never saw one before!
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Thanks. They are fairly commonplace here.
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Fantastic! I love this. Your crawling in the mud looks to have been worth it.
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It usually is, Todd. Getting down with your subject is always a good thing. 🙂 Thanks.
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Such a lovely creature – beautiful catch, Steve.
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Thank you, Eliza. I am always happy to find one no matter how often I have seen them.
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Oh, if only you had an assistant along with you to photograph you photographing the red eft. 😉 It’s a wonderful photo! There’s an odd wistfulness in the eyes, or is it a world-weary sigh coming on? Could out little eft be watching too much news, too? 😉
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I used to have a shooting buddy and we did take pictures of each other at work.
Your description of the newt fits me a lot of the time these days.
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BTW, I don’t know if you saw the description I gave of my friend and his 600 macro, but this is what I was describing…wading with leeches. 🙂
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Very orange one! Nice catch with your camera 🙂 In Finland we only have gray-brown lizards, nothing colorful 😀
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I am fortunate to be able to photograph them so often. They are such bright little critters. 🙂
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