Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas

Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas We collect & disseminate reptile & amphibian distribution data to inform wildlife habitat stewardship

We collect and disseminate reptile and amphibian distribution and natural history information for the purpose of informing effective land stewardship of wildlife habitat. The Vermont H**p Atlas relies on volunteers to report reptile and amphibian sightings and works in cooperation with Vermont Family Forests. Funding is currently provided by:

The Lintilhac Foundation
The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife
Vermont Monitoring Cooperative

Gray Treefrogs have been very active lately. We have received over 60 reports of them calling from the outside walls of ...
06/19/2026

Gray Treefrogs have been very active lately. We have received over 60 reports of them calling from the outside walls of houses, decks, grills, and outside furniture since our last H**p Update. The photo below was taken by Theo G. in Marshfield. Previous to this report, we had not received a Gray Treefrog report from Marshfield since 1995! We are still missing reports of them from many mountain and northeastern towns in Vermont. Please listen for their distinctive call (listen at https://musicofnature.com/calls-of-frogs-and-toads-of-the-northeast/) and send in reports to us at https://www.vtherpatlas.org/sighting-submission-form/. We need either updated or first-time reports from the towns that are shown in white, gray, or crosshatching in the map here. Search our website at https://www.vtherpatlas.org/priorities-data-gaps/common-vermont-species-that-need-documentation/ to see which towns we need reports from, or what other common species we need reported from your town!

The turtle traps are set! Ira Powsner will be at VINS tomorrow (Saturday) giving a presentation on the turtle species of...
06/12/2026

The turtle traps are set! Ira Powsner will be at VINS tomorrow (Saturday) giving a presentation on the turtle species of Vermont, and we will get a chance to look at who lives in the nearby wetland. There will be opportunities to learn how to handle turtles and identify species, before releasing them back into the wetland.
Come join us!
Pre-registration needed for Turtle Trek:
https://vinsweb.org/event/remarkable-reptile-day-25/

We have been monitoring amphibian breeding populations in four ponds in Lincoln for almost three decades as part of the ...
05/30/2026

We have been monitoring amphibian breeding populations in four ponds in Lincoln for almost three decades as part of the Colby Hill Ecological Project. Every other spring, we make weekly visits to count the number of egg masses of Wood Frogs and Spotted Salamanders in each pond. These are all man-made permanent ponds, but they are very productive, largely because they are fish-free. In 2021, a fifth pond was created about 40 yards away from one of the older ponds. This pond is semi-permanent and has dried up at least one summer since it was built. Wood Frogs, Spotted Salamanders, and American Toads successfully reproduced in the newly dug pond during the first spring after it was created. Eastern Newts and Green Frogs were also seen in the pond in 2022, but we don’t know if they successfully produced young.

That first spring (2022), the Wood Frogs deposited 32 egg masses in the new pond, and we estimated that there were roughly 21,300 tadpoles present in the pond on May 10 after all the eggs were hatched. That averages 656 eggs for mass that survived at least to the tadpole stage. Wood Frog females usually lay only one mass, and that mass may have anywhere from 500 to 2000 eggs. If this group of egg masses generates 64 adults (32 females and 32 males), that suggests that the other 21,236 tadpoles will either end up as food for a predator or die of other causes. Life is risky for tadpoles and young frogs. Their energy and nutrients are spread widely.

📷 Wood Frog egg masses and tadpoles by Erin Talmage

The great photos here are: 1) the rare Eastern Ribbonsnake, taken by Grace C. in Poultney. Notice the bright white lip,...
05/28/2026

The great photos here are:
1) the rare Eastern Ribbonsnake, taken by Grace C. in Poultney. Notice the bright white lip, and the white vertical line in front of the eye. Both of these field marks are very useful in distinguishing an Eastern Ribbonsnake from the common and widespread Common Gartersnake.
2) the Smooth Greensnake, taken by Cal Bryer in Goshen.
Snakes other than Common Gartersnakes remain poorly reported in many towns, and we encourage you to report these snakes at our website at https://www.vtherpatlas.org/sighting-submission-form/

Most snakes are now in their summer territories. We have received a few reports of Central Ratsnakes and Eastern Milksn...
05/26/2026

Most snakes are now in their summer territories. We have received a few reports of Central Ratsnakes and Eastern Milksnakes crossing roads or back in their favorite barns, sheds, and wood piles.

The unusual photo here was taken by Phoebe C. two weeks ago in Sudbury. It shows a Broad-winged Hawk that apparently grabbed a Central Ratsnake, but the ratsnake was not giving up without a fight. At the time the photo was taken, the battle was at a stalemate, but she reports that they both have since disappeared. My guess is that the hawk eventually killed the snake.

Gray Treefrogs have been on the move, and calling on the warmest days. This species has never been reported from two doz...
05/25/2026

Gray Treefrogs have been on the move, and calling on the warmest days. This species has never been reported from two dozen towns in Vermont. They may be genuinely missing from some of the highest elevation and northern latitude towns, but the towns shown in gray in our map below should have them. If you hear or see one, please photograph or record it and report it at https://www.vtherpatlas.org/sighting-submission-form/

📷 Gray Treefrog by Melissa Lee

At the amphibian ponds we monitor, the Wood Frog egg masses have all hatched and fallen apart. Spotted Salamander egg ma...
05/24/2026

At the amphibian ponds we monitor, the Wood Frog egg masses have all hatched and fallen apart. Spotted Salamander egg masses, however, are still visible, and most are filled with algae or dusted with silt. Erin Talmage took the three photos below with an underwater camera. The top one shows a group of Spotted Salamander egg masses and their developing embryos. The middle photo is a closer view of the embryos, and the bottom one shows a larval Spotted that must have hatched last year but overwintered in the pond. Since these egg masses were deposited in a permanent pond, staying in the pond for the first winter is an option. Still, most Spotted Salamander larvae leave their natal ponds in the late summer or fall of the year that they were laid.

Snakes have left their dens, and turtles are basking. Sunny days in spring are the best days to see basking turtles sinc...
05/22/2026

Snakes have left their dens, and turtles are basking. Sunny days in spring are the best days to see basking turtles since the water is still cold and the vegetation is not fully grown or leafed out. There are still eighteen towns in Vermont from which we have never had reports of Painted Turtles. Please keep your eyes open and camera ready for basking turtles. A zoom lens is helpful. Send in a report via our website at https://www.vtherpatlas.org/sighting-submission-form/

📷 Painted Turtles basking, by Richard Haedrich

All our amphibian and reptile species in Vermont are now active. The early spring-breeding amphibians, such as Spotted, ...
05/19/2026

All our amphibian and reptile species in Vermont are now active. The early spring-breeding amphibians, such as Spotted, Blue-spotted, and Jefferson Salamanders, and Wood Frogs, have left their breeding waters and are now back up in the woods. Later-breeding amphibians such as American Toads and Gray Treefrogs will be heard calling with the warmer weather. Spring Peepers, on the other hand, were calling from wetlands back in April and will continue calling into June. Speaking of Spring Peepers, we still need either photos or recordings of Spring Peepers from Andover, Avery’s Gore, Glastenbury, St. Albans City, and Stratton - please report on our website at https://www.vtherpatlas.org/sighting-submission-form/

📷 Spring Peeper calling, by John Jose

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642 Smead Road
Salisbury, VT
05769

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