I did a little research on my orange buddy this morning and found out that he is in fact not a lizard but a Red Eft, or also called a Red-Spotted Newt. Their life story is pretty interesting. I found this short description on a blog of someone in Pennsylvania.
"A Red Eft is the young woodland form of the Green Newt, a type of salamander. After the eggs hatch, the babies leave the water for several years to roam the moist woods. They eventually return to the water to mature and spend the rest of their lives. The adults are green with bright yellow bellies and tails like tadpoles. You often see them in aquarium shops. The Efts are harmless, gentle beasts, about two inches long, and are quite startling with their brilliant coloration. After a heavy rainfall you sometimes see hundreds of them emerging from under the leaves and moss."
Here is a link to learn more about these fascinating little creatures. I have no idea where he came from. We do have a small stream that runs through our property, so maybe he crawled up from there. I'm glad I went out to feed the birds yesterday morning at that particular time or I might never have seen one. I'm also grateful that he stayed put long enough for me to run inside and get the camera.
Posted by Lynne on 07/17/2013 at 05:14 AM
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