Ecobug Challenge - Amphibians in Halland, Sweden (ecoTrain)

Since moving to Sweden 3.5 years ago, I have found there to be quite a few species of insects and small creatures that are not found often or at all back in the UK (naturally).
As a child, I wanted to hold insects to learn which of them were unafraid of me and if they were not afraid, what was it that gave them a sense of trust? Was it that their ancestors had passed down through DNA the knowledge that humans are not a threat? Was it my intention and body language? Was it my smell?

The first insect that came to my mind when planning to take part in ecoTrain's 'Ecobug Challenge' was the bush-cricket (grasshopper). Not that this is a rare or uncommon species. It is the first thing that I thought of because of how kind and trusting they are towards me. Once you show them your intentions by resting your hand on their antennae they crawl onto your hand with a sticky grip and just, hang out.

image courtesy of MS, http://utisjobo.blogspot.se/2010/

Another wonderful connection I've had with an insect is the large brown moth that can be found in this area. Same thing. We seem to have a great connection more so than other people, who try to put their hand out and have them crawl onto them, with no result.

image courtesy Kerry Maloney

In saying this, there is a species around here that is quite uncommon and are increasingly becoming a protected species. Salamanders!

Salamanders or Newts are a secretive and until recently are a quite unstudied species of amphibian in this area. They have become a protected species as the population is decreased due to the extensive draining of the landscape. Their breeding grounds are in areas that are relatively far from living areas which make them quite vulnerable.

My partner father Peter Feuerbach has just completed a European Union backed study to uncover some of their behaviours and all of the images of Salalamder and most of the information presented here has been shared from his website www.wetlands.se.

I love it when I get a chance to see them. They appear around the ponds, mostly at night when they are safe under the cover of darkness. When it rains at night they can be found crossing roads at forest edges and across the pathways around our homes.

The great thing about this study is that it shows how, as a byproduct, Peters day job of wetland restoration is helping to maintain or even grow the Salamander population.

As Peter states on his website, there are a great number of questions yet unanswered about these guys;
How often and when do they leave the water, and when do they come back? Do they socialize with other newts on land? And if they have the choice, what kind of water body do they prefer?
They move very slowly and their skin needs to be moist for the majority of the time. How is it possible they survive the cold winters here in the north?

The two species photoed here are the Great Crested Newt and the Smooth Newt.
Newt’s live the majority of their life hidden away, under rocks, into rodent-holes, under piles of leaves and between wooden stumps.
These little dinosaur like creatures are always a joy to see, for when you see them you know just how lucky it is to see them at all.

Thanks for reading folks!

Check out what's trending on the ecoTrain, with 14 amazing passengers on board!
We Thank You For Re-Steeming!