Red Eft
Posted on in Recent Sightings by Hawk Mountain
![A vibrant Red Eft rests on a rock A vibrant Red Eft rests on a rock](/data/uploads/media/image/Red-Eft-Eastern-Newt-iNat-taken-by-Sue-Wetmore.jpg?w=1024)
If you find yourself at Hawk Mountain just after rain, you may just spot a Red Eft moving around the forest floor. The Red Eft is a Juvenile Red-Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens), and its bright orange color warns predators that it secretes poisonous toxins. Red-spotted Newts are native to New York and the eastern United States. They people the favor of helping to reduce mosquito populations by eating their larvae!
Photo by Sue Wetmore