Elias Laughton was out and about in his yard west of Hopland when he found a newt trapped in the bottom of a plastic bucket, desiccated from the recent unexpected heatwave. The little guy was “past the point of dehydration” resembling a “dry skeleton”.
Saddened by the amphibian’s fate trapped in the “plastic tomb”, Laughton picked the newt out of the bucket and was “surprised to see its tail give a slight squirm.”
“Life! But, what to do?”
Summoning his knowledge of the newt’s life cycle, Laughton imagined “each year as the ground cracks and hardens, trapping them in the summer hibernation.” He realized that the creature had “experienced plenty of dry weather.”
So, Laughton “decided to try and re-create Nature’s perfect conditions.”
Wrapping the newt in a damp paper towel, Laughton placed him in a clean glass bowl and tucked him away in a “dark corner of the pantry.”
Mother nature’s mysterious ways began. Laughton was amazed as he watched the excess water be “absorbed by the salamander’s body.”
The amphibian spent three days in a “rehabilitation chamber” and every day his human caretaker would add more water.
One morning, Laughton checked in on the newt and was greeted by “a living, breathing being.”
Amazed at the creature’s resurrection, Laughton noticed his little buddy “even graced me with a smile when I brought him back out into the light of day.
Thinking back on the little guy, Laughton said, “Animals are beautiful people.”
We would like to add, people can be beautiful people too.
MendoMoments, is dedicated to showcasing the land, animals, and people that make up Mendocino County. All Mendocino County residents and visitors are invited to participate. Send photographs to matthewplafever@gmail.com including a description of what your photograph depicts, where it was taken, and any other important details.
Earlier Chapters
- MendoMoments: A Storm Approaches
- MendoMoments: The Savage Surfers of the Mendocino Coast
- MendoMoments: Longing for Her ‘Happy Place’, a Visitor Returns to Mendocino
- MendoMoments: The Milky Way Takes Shape Over Point Arena
- MendoMoments: The Joy of a Child on a Winter’s Morn
- MendoMoments: The Warmth of Santa Claus Eminates from a Fort Bragg Storefront
- MendoMoments: A Darkened Sky, A Quiet Home, A Leafless Sycamore
- MendoMoments: ‘Frost and Fire’- A Covelo Sunrise on a Chilly Morn
- MendoMoments: The Pacific Transforms as Days Shorten and Shadows Grow
- MendoMoments: Sunset at Blues Beach
- MendoMoments: Savage Waves Batter the Mendocino Headlands
- MendoMoments: Fall Colors in Ukiah’s Downtown
- MendoMoments: A Sherbert Sunrise Illuminates a Blanket of Fog Above Redwood Valley
- MendoMoments: A Roosevelt Elk at Sinkyone Wilderness
- MendoMoments: A Caspar Shack with the Patina of Time
- MendoMoments: The Nearness of Autumn Comes Into Focus on the Mendocino Bluffs
- MendoMoments: The Long and Winding Philo-Greenwood Road
- MendoMoments: Surfer Rides a Wave Under the Blood Red Sun of Smoky Skies
- MendoMoments: A Gray Whale Emerges from the Pacific
- MendoMoments: A Wake of Vultures Feast on a Carcass
- MendoMoments: A Glass Beach Squirrel Gets Ornery When It Does Not Get a Snack
- MendoMoments: A Barn Owl in the Backyard
- MendoMoments: Lost in the Maze of Brooktrails
- MendoMoments: Noyo Harbor’s Baby Ospreys Emerge
- MendoMoments: Memorial Day at Russian River Cemetery
- MendoMoments: Soaking Feet in a Cool Creek
- MendoMoments: The Super Flower Blood Moon Descends Behind Duncan Peak
- MendoMoments: A Little Library in the Hamlet of Hearst
- MendoMoments: Thunderheads Gather Above the Mayacama Mountains
- MendoMoments: Lake Mendocino Through the Lens of a Newcomer
Eye of Newt make some good witches brew
Or he can sell car insurance