Vermont's small-bodied snakes are moving, some turtles are basking and vernal pools are beginning to teem with new life. But amid a cool, wet spring, some reptiles and amphibians are still sluggish and vernal pools in higher elevations are still waiting to warm up. We're talking about where Vermont's "herps" are this year and the challenges they face in the near- and long-term.
Jim Andrews with the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas joins Vermont Edition to talk about how lizards, salamanders, frogs and more are faring this spring, what species of "herptiles" are on the move now and how climate change is affecting the movement of these cold-blooded animals as weather and temperature become more variable.
And he'll discuss a new U.N report raising the alarm that 1 million species face extinction due to "unprecedented" pressures from humanity, and how those threats to biodiversity and ecology are being seen in Vermont.
Broadcast live on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
