Watch for amphibians crossing Granite State roads

Watch for amphibians crossing Granite State roads

CONCORD — It’s that time of year when the night air is filled peeps, quacks, trills and twangs as the amphibian breeding season begins in New Hampshire.

I found a rare salamander in the middle of the night

Rain slashed through the cone of light from my headlamp. On a dreary night in April, I was on a mission to find salamanders and frogs. To my surprise, I ran into a bit of a mystery. Observing amphibians is a spring ritual for me. When conditions are just right — rainy, dark and about 40 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer — certain salamanders and frogs cross Maine roadways as they migrate from their wintering grounds to breeding pools. On those specia…

Amphibians’ migration routines are getting more difficult. These brigades are trying to help

On warm, rainy spring New England evenings, a huge migration is taking place; Millions of frogs, toads and salamanders wiggling out of hibernation and into the world to create new life. But human inventions, like cars, and climate change have made their lives more treacherous.

Amphibians’ migration routines are getting more difficult. These brigades are trying to help.

It’s a dark and stormy late-March night. There’s a thick layer of fog over Keene. Dozens of people walk slowly down a road that curls around the Woodland Cemetery, back and forth, flashlights in hand, eyes trained on the pavement.