Newt, Out for a Stroll

The morning seemed cool enough for a hike, so we headed up the hill to our local gameland for a several-mile walk. We've experienced a good amount of rain this summer and things are very green. We've had our first few cool August mornings lately, but the humidity is still high. Everything is very, very damp.

On our way back, we came upon this small orange/red critter: a newt. Red eft, to be specific. This is the phase of the Eastern spotted newt where it goes out for a long stroll for several years. Sometimes they travel quite far to meet other newts, and to be newtful (sorry, er . . . I meant fruitful) and multiply.

This looked like a fashionable creature, well dressed in its red/orange suit. A newt suit, I thought to myself. And laughed. And took pictures, up close. And then gently removed the newt from the spot by the road where it was sitting, and placed it further away, safely in the weeds.

The song to accompany this photo of a tiny strolling creature, out for a long walk, is the wonderful Dire Straits song, Walk of Life. Enjoy!

For the newt lovers, here are a few prior newt Blips:
In which we render newt-aid
Newt! (green phase of the same creature)
Tiny October traveler