Red Efts and the Days of Youth

By Rosemary Conroy on Friday, July 13, 2007.

listen:

The Red Eft is the juvenile form of the Red-Spotted Newt, but as with teens of other species they want little to do with their parents' ways.

Summer can often mean guests from out of town that need entertaining. I always take them into the woods, because there's always something interesting to see along the trails.

Right now through the end of August is a great time to explore our local hills and mountains because the bugs are beginning to decline. Plus there's often wild blueberries that can be a sweet reward for getting to the top.

And if you have any youngsters along, you can keep them entertained by counting red efts. Last summer, my nephews and I hit an all time record by tallying 321 of these little orange salamanders in just one hike. At 3-4 inches in length, red efts are tiny, but they lead pretty big lives. They start out as eggs laod by eastern red-spotted newts in a local pond or lake. After spending a few weeks as a tadpole, they change into red efts.

This stage can be compared to their teenage years. Tehey turn bright reddish orange and go completely terrestrial. They prowl around the woods, preying on tiny insects and probably getting into all kinds of trouble. Well, I often find them in the middle of the road after it rains, which makes me suspect that they sometimes lack common sense. And it you look at them closely, you'll see that they look like they are smiling, almost smirking. I haven't seen any roll their eyes, but they probably do.

Anyway, red efts remain in this juvenal stage for 5-8 years before they decide to settle down in a nice pond or lake. There they will metamorphose into dull green aqautic adults, find a mate and start passing on their genes. By that point, their smiles have faded, but one assumes they still have their memories.