Two newts I’ve found in the yard. The top-most is more recent, and the orange one below is from last October. Both are Eastern Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens), and over on iNaturalist the orange one was identified down to subspecies Central Newt (N. viridescens ssp. louisianensis)
I’m eternally delighted by them and honored that they’d stop by my garden!
Yep, I’m just barely up a slope from a…I hesitate to call it a true marsh, as I think it’s more of a low-sitting municipal water drainage area (more man-made, I guess). A few small spots in the woods retain a lot of snowmelt, though I’m unsure if they’re big enough to be truly considered vernal pools.
I’ve only ever found these guys when it’s been particularly dry for a long time, so I bet they’re visiting the logs near my garden beds for hydration (or bugs). :D