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Turned over some earth between the tomato and potato plants today and came across something you don’t see every day around here — a Blue-spotted Salamander. He was sitting there in the dark soil looking like he’d been dipped in black lacquer and splattered with bright blue paint… just waiting for the commotion to pass.

Most times these little fellas stay completely out of sight… tucked deep under old logs or buried in the damp earth where the sun can’t dry them out. You could live here a long time and never cross paths with one. But they’re some of the best hired help a garden can get. They spend their nights patrolling the rows — quiet and deliberate — clearing out slugs, ants, and the kind of bugs that like to make a meal of a person’s hard work.

I set him right back down near the roots and let him get on with his shift. There’s plenty of clearing to do… and he doesn’t charge a thing for the labor. GW