Last summer, as we camped near Kamas, we found a mudhole up in the mountains. We noticed 6 tadpoles struggling to breathe as they squirmed with all their might through the thick sludge. Their home was just about evaporated, so we decided to rescue them. Scott cut a water bottle in half and used it to scoop them up. We sure enjoyed watching the tadpoles grow and discovered they weren't turning into frogs, but instead; salamanders. Tiger salamanders are the only salamander species native to Utah. As they grew, they crowded the cage, so we let four of them go last fall.
We named the remaining ones: Tripod and Sir Newton. Tripod, because he lost a leg and it grew back; and Sir Newton because newts are like salamanders; get it? We watched them grow all winter and spring. The cats were mesmerized by every move, so much that we had to velcro their cage to our coffee table so they would stop overturning it on to the ground.
We decided it was time to let the remaining 2 sallys go the last part of May.
We made a celebration of it and had a picnic in the perfect spot.
We said our last goodbyes and held them one final time.
Next, we set their cage down and released them into their habitat.
And they happily crawled away into the wild.
They were probably thrilled with the ideal surroundings.
And what a beautiful day it was!
Perfect weather for some photos.
And this guy was nowhere to be found.
Because he snuck away to explore for a minute and found himself in a muddy marsh. Silly Scott!
We giggled as he washed the mud away. The same mud that the salamanders were cozily burrowing in for their new home.
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