September: The month of the Red Efts! It seems these little critters are everywhere in the forests of the northeastern US this time of year. They are the immature form of the Eastern newt which you may remember from an earlier post. I just recently took a hike in my campus nature preserve and saw so many I stopped counting after 30. You see, this time of year they are making there way down to bodies of water too live as semi-aquatic adult newts (as efts they are terrestrial). these guys range in color from brownish to bright red (their color marks them as toxic to predators). They can be kept as pets as you would any other salamander for 2 to 3 yrs and then must be cared for like newts. Go out and explore your local woods and see if you find any.
