The Tiniest Eft

Goodness, it's just Red Efts all over the place around here. And I'm not complaining! When I went for a walk at Hammond Hill State Forest yesterday, I crossed paths with six of these juvenile newts, and among them was the tiniest eft I've ever seen (pictured here with a dime for scale):
 

I didn't know they came so small! Look at this wonderful animal:
 

I moved the tiny eft off the path to make way for incoming mountain bikes, and the leaf I used as a mini-eft-elevator then made a great stage for one last adorable portrait:

Here's a bigger and bulkier eft I met during the same walk; all efts are beautiful, and it's so cool to get to compare individuals of such different sizes:
 

It was also great to see Red Columbine blooming next to the path (although I only found the one plant):
 

A small patch of Indian Cucumber Root (Medeola virginiana) made a cool sight with those tiers of whorled leaves:

The small flowers dangling from the top tiers of these plants are lovely, and quite strangely shaped:

I'm so happy to live in a place where Chestnut-sided Warblers are fairly common; they're my favorite warbler species, mostly because of the male's eccentric costume. This male Chestnut-sided Warbler gave me a nice view of his bright yellow cap (one of his best and strangest features):

I also got to admire this female Chestnut-sided Warbler's more muted yellow hat, along with her beautiful striped back:

We really do have lots of cool animals and plants around here!