The Red-winged Blackbird and the Redback Salamander,

The New London-Waterford Greenway Bioindicators:

Red-winged Blackbird:

      Red-winged blackbirds are a native species that is closely associated with wetlands and most specifically, cattails. Cattails are important native wetland plants, whose extraordinary capacity to filter heavy metals and nutrients from the watershed, make it a vital species for wetland health and a clean and healthy Long Island Sound.

       The Red-winged blackbird makes its nest amongst the cattails. Sightings of red-winged blackbirds often means there are cattails close by. As we re-introduce native cattails to vital wetlands areas, and their use in backyard garden ponds is increased, we should see a greater number of these attractive birds.

The Redback Salamander:

     Salamanders are amphibians related to frogs. The Redback Salamander is our main bioindicator we are using for the Greenway. A bioindicator is a plant or animal that is used to gauge an ecosystem’s health.

      Redback Salamanders are one of the hardiest salamanders and are the most numerous in the state. However, like all amphibians, they are extremely sensitive to various types of pollution including pesticides and heavy metals. Due to their porous skin they absorb these pollutants easily. These same pollutants are toxic to other animals and humans as well. A healthy yard is one were these animals can live. If Redback Salamanders can’t live in your yard you probably don’t want your kids playing there.

     This salamander’s range already includes much of New London and Waterford. In fact many city blocks in New London have “semi-wild” areas in the middle where these salamanders thrive.

     Redback Salamanders are beneficial to your yard and garden. They eat many commons pests. They are in important part of the food web, eating large amounts of mites, spiders, insects, centipedes, millipedes, beetles, snails, slugs, ants, earthworms, flies, and larvae. Eventually these habitats can also be used by other less hardy, that require a larger intact range such as spotted salamanders and American toads, both which have populations established in the Connecticut College Arboretum and Bates Woods.

We will track and log Redback Salamander populations, and other important species in New London and Waterford, and keep an updated map online.