Mike Benard

@benardmf

Biologist, ecologist, herpetologist. Views expressed here are my personal opinions. Professor & Department Chair at CWRU

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Mike Benard@benardmf· 25d

Young slimy salamander (and snail friend) found in northeast Ohio today - Arguably one of the prettiest non-Ambystoma salamanders in North America.

Mike Benard@benardmf· 26d

A cut milkweed leaf oozes toxic white latex - a defense from many herbivores.

In the bottom third of the frame is a broad green leaf that has been cut. On the edges of the cut leaf are beads of thick, white liquid, which is the toxic latex. In the top two thirds of the frame, in the background, is the ball of small flowers of the common milkweed. Each is a pick to red five-petaled small flower. Some near the top have not yet opened.

Mike Benard@benardmf· 28d

Last week saw this green treefrog hanging out under the purple flowers of a pickerelweed, with a honeybee buzzing just above it. The frog's water-conserving posture almost makes it look like it is praying. Found a little south of New Orleans while taking a side trip during #JMIH26.

A tall, cone-like spike covered in many small, purple flowers on top of a thick green stem. Just under the bottom of the purple flowers perches a green treefrog. A honeybee is pollinating one of the small flowers just above the frog.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 21

This red milkweed beetle was another browser of the milkweed

A dark red beetle with black spots and long black antennae and legs sits on the small pink and pale flower of a common milkweed plant.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 21

This little ant was one of many insects foraging on common milkweed this afternoon in northeast Ohio.

Close-up of a cluster of common milkweed flowers, with an ant on the center flower. Common milkweeds produce clusters of small flowers on short stalks that appear to be spherical from a distance. In this close-up, there is a small, shiny black ant on the small center flower, with other flowers of the cluster around it. The flowers are a very pale pink, with five petals.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 19

Time lapse of tonight’s sky with clouds moving between the earth and heavens. Trees shaking in the breeze.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 14

Really sad today to see this magnificent beech tree that just fell over. Another victim of Beech Leaf Disease. holdenfg.org/beech-leaf-d...

A large tree trunk that has split and fallen over. Broken about 8 feet off ground.

Looking at broken up trunk of large beech tree that has split in several places where it hit the ground.

Long view of the fallen beech tree trunk, it has also pinned a small maple under it.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 12

Came across a rock next to a stream where a swallowtail butterfly met its end today. I am guessing it fed a bird.

Looking down at two butterfly wings on their own, with no butterfly body attached. On has upper side visible and is yellow and black. The other is bottom side visible and is pale yellow, black and done orange and metallic blue. They are sitting on a mossy log.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 8

Surprised and happy to see the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Corpse Flower was blooming this weekend! It has been many years since I have seen one in bloom.

A very large (2 to 3 feet high), cone shaped plant in a wooden planter. It looks like leaves are about to unfurl. The top tip is very dark, the rest of it is light green.

Informational sign for the corpse flower named “Chronus”. Text:

The corpse flower, which shares its home with orangutans, is the largest flowering structure in nature, and is listed as endangered because its rainforest habitat is being clear cut for oil palm plantations.

• It produces the largest, unbranched inflorescence (structure containing multiple flowers) in the world. One of the largest ever recorded was over 10 feet tall.

•The inflorescence is made up of the spathe and spadix contains hundreds of tiny male and female flowers).

•Only open for 24-48 hours, the flower uses the stench of rotting flesh to attract carrion beetles and flesh flies.

• When the flower blooms, it produces its own heat to help spread its scent to attract even more pollinators.

• Named ‘Cronus', this flower has also bloomed in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2019, and 2022.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 7

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) flowers are gone, but the fruits are starting to enlarge. But don't eat it! The entire plant, including young fruit, are toxic. I have read that when the fruit is yellow and ripe it is edible, but I have not tried it.

Photo taken at ground-level of a forest understory plant about 1.5 feet high. It's stem branches into two parts, each of which end in a large, umbrella-like leaf with large lobes. Where the stem splits, about halfway up the plant, dangles a single green oval-shaped fruit off its own short stem. The fruit is about the size of a golf ball, but smooth and oval. Behind the plant is the forest tree trunks and canopy. The plant is lit by the sun, and the trees in the back are dark with bits of blue sky peeking through.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Jun 6

A Dekay's Snake (Storeria dekayi) that I saw a few days ago. Always a treat to find, these little snakes are common in many parts of eastern North America. They do well in a variety of habitats, including urban and suburban areas. Eats a lot of invertebrates, including snails and slugs.

A small, light brown snake in green grass and moss. The snake is in a loose coil, with its head in the right third of the frame, and looking to the right. The head is somewhat blunt, with a big eye. There are conspicuous but small black dots going down either side of its midline.

Mike Benard@benardmf· May 24

A young gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor), about 11 months old, hanging out on a leaf. This little frog would have metamorphosed last summer, and will spend this summer growing to possibly reach adult size by next spring's mating season.

Mike Benard@benardmf· May 16

A baby grey treefrog (Hyla versicolor) - it's green color helps blend into the leaves it calls home. It would have metamorphosed last year, and so is a little less than a year old.

Looking down on a cluster of long, bright green leaves spreading out from reddish-stems. In the center of the photo is a small, green treefrog sitting on a leaf. Its color is a close-match to the leaves, and so it blends into the background.

Mike Benard@benardmf· May 10

Little chick making a big stretch

Looking at the back of a tall, adult sandhill crane and a small, fuzzy yellow and brown crane chick. They are in short, green grass. The adult is standing bent over, with its beak in the grass. The chick is standing on one leg, with its left leg stretched out behind it, almost parallel to the ground, and three long toes extended like it is stretching.

Mike Benard@benardmf· May 10

On a family trip to Michigan this weekend, was happy to get to watch two adult sandhill cranes with two chicks in the short grass of a park.

Two large adult sandhill cranes, both with their heads down and beaks in the grass. The adults have long, thin, scaly dark legs, and long necks. Body feathers are brown and gray. The heads are gray but with black beaks, and a dark red color around the eye and cream on the lower part of the head. They are on green, short, mowed grass. Between them, just by their heads, are two small, fuzzy brown and yellow checks. The chicks are only about the size of the head of the adult crane.

Mike Benard@benardmf· May 5

Canada goose on top of my building like Batman today, protecting campus from 4 stories up.

Looking up at the top of a tall, brick building. The chest, head and neck of a Canada goose are visible. Goose seems to be looking into distance. Blue sky behind it.

Mike Benard@benardmf· May 3

Last weekend had a great time hosting our annual Bioblitz at the CWRU Farm as part of the @inaturalist.bsky.social #CityNatureChallenge . Great turnout and lots of enthusiasm despity the chilly, damp weather!

Looking down on a bright orange salamander (a red eft stage of the eastern newt) crawling on the brown, dead leaves on the forest floor.

Jack-in-the-pulpit flower sprouting from the leaf litter on the forest floor. It has two stalks emerging from the ground. One stalk has a large green flower on the end, and the other stalk is topped with three leaves.

Bright orange mushrooms growing on a wet rotting log. The white filamentous mycelium are also shown growing from the base of the mushrooms around the log.

A group of 21 people standing in a line in a grassy area in front of a large pond. Trees are in the background behind and around the pond. The sky is gray.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Apr 23

I had to trill to get them to start calling when I got close. The first trill in this video is me, then the toads start.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Apr 23

Toads can be odd creatures. Tonight I found a group of males singing from underneath an undercut stream bank. Like they had their own little cave-like nightclub.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Apr 18

Had a three -eft afternoon while walking between ponds listening for toads. Warm, rainy spring afternoons are perfect weather to bring out these beautiful and toxic amphibians.

Wide-angle photo of a newt on a wet log showing the forest floor with old logs and green plants behind it. The newt is bright orange with small red spots outlined in black. Everything in photo is wet with glistening water.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Apr 16

Out listening for toads on this fine, warm, damp northeast Ohio night. Only a little toad activity, but peepers still going strong!

Mike Benard@benardmf· Apr 11

Gulls were following the freighter, snapping up fish

A white bird with gray and black on wings, and yellow beak and legs. It is flying low over water with fish in its beak.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Apr 11

Down at the Flats in Cleveland this afternoon. Time lapse of a freighter going around Collision Bend, a very twisty part of the Cuyahoga River.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Apr 4

Jefferson's salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) found under a log a few days ago. It was about 100 meters from a wetland where these salamanders breed. The breeding season wrapped up about a week ago, so it was probably in the process of moving away from the pond until the next season. Ohio.

Close up view from the side of a broad, dark-gray salamander. Its head is looking to the left, and it has large, black, bulgy eyes. Its forelim is visible. Near the bottom of its side, around the forelimb, and on bits of its chin are very small, faint blue specks. It is on a background of earth and small pieces of wood, and it has some dirt on it. It looks robust and healthy.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Mar 28

Scanning old slides brings back good memories. Almost 25 yrs ago spent 90 minutes watching this California kingsnake eating a big garter snake on the side of a pond in Napa County, CA.

Close-up of a large snake sitting in shallow water with thin green reeds around it. The large snake's color pattern is thick dark brown bands separated by thinner, cream-colored bands. The big snake is curled around a slightly smaller snake. The big snake is in the process of swallowing the smaller snake. The smaller snake's patter is a dark black background with bright yellow lines down the back and side, and some small red markings.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Mar 14

Lots of wood frog breeding in northeast Ohio on Wednesday and Thursday this past week.

Brown frog floating in shallow water with old leaves underneath.

Small woodland pond, with trees in the background. In foreground, underwater, with many round clusters of black frog eggs.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Mar 8

Unisexual Ambystoma salamander from Ohio seen today with more than half of her tail regenerated. It may have been bitten off in a previous year by a predator like a raccoon. With a little time and energy investment, she grew it back.

Close-up of regenerated salamander tail. More the half of the tail is regenerated. The original part of the tail is thick and has a mottled gray-blue and black pattern. The regenerated part of the tail is much thinner, and plain gray with no pattern.

Whole body shot of a salamander on a brown piece of bark. Salamander has a thick body. View is of side of salamander. body is mix of gray-blue to light-blue mottled markings on a dark gray background. More than half the tail is regenerated. More the half of the tail is regenerated. The original part of the tail is thick and has a mottled gray-blue and black pattern. The regenerated part of the tail is much thinner, and plain gray with no pattern.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Mar 1

Fence effect snow

Photo of a backyard with a wooden fence. Snow is present in fence shadow, but not where sunny. Makes a line of snow across yard.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Feb 21

Caught our first unisexual Ambystoma of 2026 yesterday morning! Despite the long stretch of cold, and some thick ice still on the pond, a week of warm weather was enough to bring a few out. With current forecast, big migration probably won’t happen until into March.

A gloved hand holds a large black salamander. A pond in the background has dome ice cover.

Gloves hand holds a thick chunk of ice, about 3 to 4 cm thick, with pond in background.

Mike Benard@benardmf· Feb 7

It’s been a cold, snowy winter here in Cleveland. In 2923 and 2024, we caught our first salamanders around February 10th. I am now wondering if we won’t see them until late March this year? What’s your guess?