Slimy yet beautiful, elusive yet cute – in the murky depths of The Dawes Arboretum’s Cypress Swamp, a rare amphibian emerges only once a year under the watchful eyes of our scientists and exclusive visitors: the famous Great Mole Salamanders! These amazing creatures return faithfully every year to The Arboretum because of our visitor’s steadfast support.
This year, we’re asking for your help by naming our cute friends. For just $5, you can symbolically adopt a salamander and name it before it emerges upon the beauty of Dawes. The name tag for your salamander will be posted on the wall at our Visitors Center until the Great Mole Salamander Migration!
The best part about this program is that people all over the world can participate. All you have to do is visit our Salamander Donation Link that will lead you to a page where you can donate the $5 and leave a comment to name your salamander. Dedicated team members will write your adopted name for you and hang it up in the Visitors Center. You’ll even get sent a picture of the name on our adoption wall! You can also donate in-person in the Visitors Center.
These donations not only keep The Arboretum operating, it allows us to keep sustaining the Cypress Swamp as a home for these salamanders to migrate back to every year. Your donation could help with everything from purchasing the equipment needed for salamander monitoring, upkeep of the habitat, the protection of salamander eggs and educating the public of this unique phenomenon so we can continue to support this essential habitat for years to come.
Be a part of this unique phenomenon by adopting a salamander today! If you’re interested in witnessing the miraculous emergence of the salamanders, please visit the Event Page to learn more about the dates, times, details and contact information.
The Arboretum’s Marketing and Communications Team will be picking the top five most creative names to compete in a poll for the top choice on social media! The winning name will be honored with a spot on our website for the year! So, get your thinking caps on because it’s time to get creative!
Names that are vulgar, harmful or insulting in any way will not be allowed. As a reminder, this donation is symbolic. You do not receive a physical or digital salamander as a result of your donation.