Jeffersons on King

I missed getting my post up last week. Not sure why, but I probably was having trouble getting a good photo and looking ahead to the next letter, wasn't sure I wanted to waste a good K on a J.

So here is a combo.

King Road runs north-south from the lake to the escarpment. It is a pretty street at the bottom end with nice houses set back off the street. There are also no sidewalks and lots of trees, making the road feel like the country. It is the boundary line between Burlington and Aldershot, a village that was annexed in 1962.

Continuing up King Rd, there is a bit of an industrial section, then you have a level crossing at the train tracks before going over the highway. Past this, the road winds its way steeply (oh, so steeply!) up the escarpment through not so very populated areas and vast open spaces with great views.

And it has been in the news lately, first for a horrific train crash earlier this month and now for its road closure.

As you can see with this map, it is not the most direct 

route to get from Plains Rd to Waterdown (road or town)

But the Jefferson Salamander is on the move. It is time for these creatures to cross the road to their breeding ponds and to lay their eggs. Since they are an endangered species, the success of these 100 or so salamanders eggs is important.

not my photo

my photo

In the past there has been a voluntary closure, with a detour onto Waterdown Rd during the night (from 9pm to 6am) which is when these guys like to migrate. Now, a small section of the road is permanently closed until the end of this month, with a $110.00 fine for disobeying. So far, no salamanders have been injured or killed, though apparently some people have ignored the barricade.

Here are some interesting facts about the Jefferson Salamander:

*they change their spots, starting off as yellowish green with dark spots and as they get older they trade their black spots for yellow ones and turn a more greenish grey. as adults they turn grey and their spots become more blueish and specked.

* they can detach their tail when threatened. they can also tuck their heads under their tail and from this position can do a body flip. there is also some kind of toxic ooze that comes from glands near the base of the tail.

*they are homebodies and are very picky about where they live, rarely moving more than a mile from whence they originated. so transporting them to safer ground is not an option.

With this warmer weather and an earlier start to their migration, they should have crossed the road safely and King Road will once again be opened to people and their dangerous vehicles by Friday.

For ABC Wednesday