First photo, Babcock marbled

In late October, in a dry hole that typically becomes a vernal pool, I discovered a mama Marbled Salamander guarding a large clutch of eggs. (Here's a link to the post: http://brucefellman.zenfolio.com/blog/2015/10/mama-marbled) She had secreted herself and her potential offspring under a log about a third of the way up from the absolute pond bottom, but when I checked in on her in late November, she was gone and I couldn't find any sign of the eggs in the still-dry vernal. This worried me: first, that I had disturbed her and caused her to flee, and second, that perhaps the persistent drought had ended any chance that the eggs would hatch. The rains, however, have returned with a vengeance, and the pond is now brim full. Last week, when I visited with my granddaughter, I thought I had spotted a Marbled hatchling, but whatever it was I noticed didn't feel like hanging around for a photo op. This afternoon, in a stretch of meltwater that was soaking up the 50-plus-degrees sunshine, I got the documentation I needed for my ongoing survey of this local refuge. The Ambystoma opacum Class of 2016 is starting to work its way through school and with any luck, we'll have graduates come June.