Newt Season in the Bay Area

During the rainy season, Just below of the surface of ponds across the Bay Area, these jelly like balls appear. Can you guess what they are?

They are California newt egg masses!

Adult newts migrate during the rainy season to the same ponds they visit each winter to mate. Females are motionless for long periods of time underwater as they attach their eggs to the submerged vegetation.

One of the best places to view this part of the newt life cycle is at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. Due to the renovations of their pond this past fall of 2023, the visibility is incredible right now. Hundreds of eggs masses are visible, glued to leaf litter and branches in the pond. Most breeding ponds are murky due to the rains, but this pond is clear and easy to walk right up to. These eggs will start to hatch over the next few weeks, so make your way to the garden if you want to see one of the most accessible views of the California Newt reproductive cycle. There is an $18 fee to get into the garden (or a discounted rate of $3 with EBT card + ID).

Males are abundant, looking for females to mate with, often multiple males attempting to mate with one female. Males were also observed eating egg masses - once an egg mass was damaged by one male, other males made their way over to eat the eggs that had been shaken loose. They seemed to all go to the same egg mass making me wonder if they are eating just ones that may be infertile.