Barbara Gillette, Master Gardener

Barbara Gillette is a Master Gardener, Herbalist, beekeeper, and journalist with three decades of experience propagating and growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals. From sowing seed to harvest, from heirloom tomatoes to wild orchids, her gardening experience encompasses first hand knowledge of best practices for success. 

She has worked with the University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Communications and with several commercial greenhouse operations and was past president of the Anderson County Farmer's Market Cooperative. She has cultivated and planted more than 150 shrubs and trees on her eight acre property over the past 23 years.

Amanda Rose Newton, Board Certified Entomologist

Amanda Rose Newton is a pest specialist, reviewing pest control content for The Spruce's Cleaning Review Board. She is a board-certified entomologist and volunteers for USAIDs Farmer to Farmer program. Currently, she is a professor of Horticulture, an Education Specialist, and pest specialist.She has a decade's worth of experience in both the academic and professional sides of horticulture and entomology. Her focus is on educating gardeners to use sustainable practices that will lead to improved food security and quality for the next generation.

Julie Thompson-Adolf, Master Gardener

Julie Thompson-Adolf is a Master Gardener and author with over 30 years of experience with year-round organic gardening, seed starting and saving, growing heirloom plants, perennials, and annuals, and sustainable and urban farming.

She’s a Master Gardener, served on the National Garden Bureau’s Plant Nerds team, and joined with television host P. Allen Smith for Garden2Blog. Julie is a member of Garden Comm: Garden Communicators International, Slow Food, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, and many other environmental and gardening groups.

Debra LaGattuta, Master Gardener

Debra is a Master Gardener who received her official title in 2015. She has over 30+ years of experience as a home gardener experienced in designing, planting, and maintaining cottage-style perennial, vegetable, and four-season container gardens.

She is the lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. She is also the author of several gardening presentations on topics including perennial plant primers, hardy perennials for different zones, and vegetable gardening.

Andrew Hughes, Certified Arborist

Andrew Hughes is a certified arborist, member of the International Society of Arborists specializing in tree heal care, and reviews tree content on The Spruce's Gardening Review Board. He founded and runs Urban Loggers, LLC, a company offering residential tree services in the Midwest and Connecticut.

Mary Marlowe Levette, Master Gardener

Mary has been a Master Gardener for 30+ years and a commercial and residential gardener. She is a former Clemson University Extension Agent. She worked to develop the Riverbanks Botanical Garden that opened in 1995.

Along with her brother, Mary owns Marlowe Farms Apple Orchards and has 50+ years of experience in vegetables, annuals, and perennials in the home garden as well as commercial crops.

Amanda Rose Newton, Board Certified Entomologist

Amanda Rose Newton is a pest specialist, reviewing pest control content for The Spruce's Cleaning Review Board. She is a board-certified entomologist and volunteers for USAIDs Farmer to Farmer program. Currently, she is a professor of Horticulture, an Education Specialist, and pest specialist.She has a decade's worth of experience in both the academic and professional sides of horticulture and entomology. Her focus is on educating gardeners to use sustainable practices that will lead to improved food security and quality for the next generation.

Amanda Rose Newton, Board Certified Entomologist

Amanda Rose Newton is a pest specialist, reviewing pest control content for The Spruce's Cleaning Review Board. She is a board-certified entomologist and volunteers for USAIDs Farmer to Farmer program. Currently, she is a professor of Horticulture, an Education Specialist, and pest specialist.She has a decade's worth of experience in both the academic and professional sides of horticulture and entomology. Her focus is on educating gardeners to use sustainable practices that will lead to improved food security and quality for the next generation.

Giant Chinese Salamander (Andrias davidianus)

The giant Chinese salamander is a critically endangered salamander species. It is the world’s largest amphibian. Chinese salamanders have an average length of 1 meter and weigh 11 kg. Their bodies are heavily built and flat, with short but sturdy limbs.

They can live for up to 60 years. The conservation status of giant Chinese salamanders is critically endangered. Researchers could only find 24 giant Chinese salamanders in the wild. Excessive hunting by humans caused an alarming decline in their population.

Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus)

The Chinese Giant Salamander is the world's largest amphibian, found in the streams and lakes of China. It can stretch up to almost 6 feet in length, second only to the largest amphibian which is discussed in the next section. 

They are active at night and feed on insects, frogs, crabs, and fish. Sometimes, they resort to cannibalism. Since they have poor eyesight, they have a built-in vibrational sensor called the lateral line system that helps them locate prey and avoid danger. 

Interestingly, they make sounds resembling a baby crying, so locals in China call them "baby fish.” Despite this endearing name and their huge size, Chinese Giant Salamanders have the IUCN Critically Endangered status due to habitat destruction and overhunting7.

Japanese Giant Salamander (Andrias japonicus)

The Japanese Giant Salamander lives in Japan's mountainous landscapes. Its crinkled and coarse skin helps it blend in with the rocks in its watery habitat. Like other salamanders in the Andrias genus, it is large, reaching up to 5 feet.

These types of salamanders are nocturnal creatures that rely on their sense of smell and touch to hunt for fish, insects, worms, and small mammals. During the breeding season, males become aggressive and fiercely guard their nesting sites, which can hold up to 500 eggs.

Persian Mountain Salamander (Paradactylodon persicus)

The Persian Mountain Salamander inhabits the temperate rainforests at the southwestern rim of Iran's Caspian Sea. It has a rectangular head and rounded tail, typically longer than the rest of its body.

These Asiatic salamanders sport a dark hue speckled with irregular yellow spots. These salamanders present carnivorous traits throughout their lives, feasting on arthropods and other small animals within their shared environment.

Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)

Tiger Salamanders are mole salamanders that can reach up to 14 inches long. It has dark skin with bright yellow or olive-colored blotches and is found in various habitats across North America.

Native tiger salamanders are reported in the northern and eastern U.S. and are regarded as relict populations. Conversely, the west coast hosts non-native species, resulting from using larval salamanders as fishing bait4, causing hybridization.

They spend their days concealed in burrows, under rocks or logs, emerging only at night. Their diet includes invertebrates such as worms, insects, slugs, and sometimes even small mammals, reptiles, or amphibians. 

During the spring mating season, males deposit a spermatophore on the ground, which females use to fertilize their eggs. Most salamander species use this reproductive method. Afterward, the fertilized eggs attach to vegetation in shallow bodies of water, and the larvae transform into terrestrial adults over the next few months.

Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)

The Spotted Salamander, also called Yellow-spotted Salamander, lives in the forests of eastern North America. Their yellow or orange spots warn predators of their toxicity and help them blend in with the forest floor. 

Moreover, they are active at night, eating insects and other invertebrates, which helps keep pest populations in check. They mostly live underground and will come out to eat or breed.

Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum)

The Marbled Salamander is a visually appealing species inhabiting the deciduous forests in the eastern United States. This species demonstrates sexual dimorphism - females typically showcase light grey bands, while males present strikingly white ones.

They live near bodies of water, frequently burrowing under rocks or logs. When threatened, they curl their tails to expose their bright underside, secreting a mild toxin. Other defense mechanisms include the coiling of bodies and the lashing of tails.

California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense)

The California Tiger Salamander is endemic to California's grasslands and vernal pools. It is one of the largest species in its family, growing to 7-8 inches. 

Since they are mole salamanders, they spend most of their lives in burrows and migrate to temporary pools during the rainy season to lay their eggs. The larvae remain underwater for a few months until they transform into land-dwelling adults. 

Their diet consists of small invertebrates, and they have a unique defense mechanism when threatened. They also regulate the insect population in their ecosystem.

Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus)

The Pacific Giant Salamander, a large species endemic to the Pacific Northwest in North America, can grow up to 13.4 inches. It typically has dark brown to black backs, adorned by light brown spots or marbling, and lighter underbellies.

This salamander prefers semi-aquatic habitats, favoring small-to-mid-sized streams and riverside forests.

Pacific Giant Salamanders get vocal if disturbed, emitting a distinct "bark." Adopting a defensive pose, it arches its body, thrashes its tail, and when the need arises, repels predators by secreting a noxious substance. Adults can also head-butt and bite.