This animal holds a special place in my heart. When I was a kid, I spent hours (and hours!) in the woods across the street from my house “the gulley”, catching red-backed salamanders. I’d put them in a jar and bring them home to create mini-habits for them.

These terrestrial salamanders don’t have lungs. Instead, they breathe through their skin, which needs to stay moist. They can be found under rocks and rotting logs in the woods (or in my woodpile after it rains!).