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Notophthalamus viridescens viridescens
near Johnson City, Tennessee At right is an eft. An eft is a newt; it is the land stage of the newt, complete with a dry, rough skin. Under normal conditions, newt larvae, when fully developed, transform themselves into efts and crawl out of the water. They spend 1-3 years on the land, before returning to the water to become reproductive adults. On our way to somewhere else, we stopped to visit a stream falling down a mountain, and spent a few hours under the spell of a forest of bays, laurels, and rhododendrons. This eft was easy to spot, cling to a wet rock a short distance above water. The photo is untouched - efts are brightly colored for a reason. Their skin is very toxic, and the bright colors serve to warn potential predators.
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