Newts in Love! While camping in Big Sur this past February, a nearby pond was filled with hundreds of California Newts. February is mating time for these amphibians (especially Valentine's Day!), and large numbers of them were clumping into mating balls. The small amphibious salamanders seemed to like being in the sunny areas of the pond.... I used a polarizer to bring out the tree reflections on the pond's surface. Image copyright Cher Peterson. All rights reserved.