Why did the salamander cross the street?
To crawl to the pond, where salamanders meet.
Once every year, on a rainy night date.
They meet at the pond, where salamanders mate.

Each female carries in her belly.
Up to 200 eggs, that look like jelly.
After breeding all the young, that they have to give.
Adults crawl back to the forest, where salamanders live.

You're hunting lizards, on a rainy April night.
The snow has just melted, the mating time is right.
Winter is at ebb, spring time is near.
Rain sprinkling and birds' songs is all that you hear.

An ease-breeze is filtering, through spirited trees.
The weather is warm, its about 40 degrees.
Suddenly, just before you, slip-slide it goes.
A wriggling little lizard, up and over your toes.

"WOW!" A spotted salamander, a dazzling little newt.
This one's just been hatched, its wagging tail is cute.
Its speckles look like lemons, scattered about its coat of black and brown.
It has captured your revelry, on one knee you drop down.

This one's no longer than your finger, but it can grow nine inches long.
Sliding like a snail, it is not yet very strong.
Of this fidgety little fellow, there's no need for alarm.
Even as a full grown adult, it'll do you no harm.

It looks like a garter snake, but with legs and feet like a toad.
"HI THERE! You warn, what are you doing, in the middle of the road?
A road not quite a road, but like a crowded avenue.
Where there's lots of hasting cars, that might run over you."

HELP!

You ask how can I help? What can I do?
To protect you from cars,That will surly crunch you.
You build itsy bitsy tunnels, under the street.
A safe passage-way to the pond, where to mate they meet.

You build, "guide fences," that are short and low.
To guide them to the tunnels, so where the tunnels are they'll know.
Every year, on that rainy night.
Salamanders will use your tunnels, and get to the pond right.

SEASONAL SERVICE:

Each year, the tunnels will need fixing.
To further to help salamanders keep mating and mixing.
You smooth out their path, from the forest to the tunnels.
Now the salamanders can easily reach your protective funnels.

You fill in the holes and spaces, under the, "guide fences," with dirt.
So they can't slip out, and get themselves hurt.
Now the salamanders won't get lost at all.
Because through the holes and spaces, by chance they can't crawl.

I enjoy helping salamanders, and frogs too.
Toads can use my safety tunnels, my sheltered way through.

COME and GO.

From the forest to the road, through tunnels and beyond,
Salamanders make their way pass the cars and to the mating pond.
After a few days of swimming and mating, they leave the pond and go home.
To the forest where at night, they come out of hiding and roam.

Searching for worms and bugs to eat.
They feast all night, until the rising sun's heat.
At the break of dawn their roaming and eating is done.
All day long you'll hardly see one.

"EGG-CITE-ING FACTS."

Back at the pond, their eggs hatch in a month or so.
Two or three months after that, to their parents they want to go.
The're old enough now, to head for the forest, to see mom and dad.
A family reunion; everybody's glad.

One year later, on a rainy night, "AGAIN."
It's from the forest, down the path, through the guide fences, to the tunnels,
Everybody, "SCOOT IN."
In and out, and not far beyond; there's dashing and splashing in the mating pond.