The Salamander
Item No. 3
“The salamander was a mysterious being to me back then. It was magical for it to appear.”We list the salamander in The Last Catalog as a bespoke item. How did it land in the catalog at all? Well, I, one creator, used to find salamanders near my home as a child. The salamander was a mysterious being to me back then. It appeared in the shadows, on the cool wet cement and it seemed to me to be happy there. It was magical for it to appear. It is still magical for a salamander to appear.
In this catalog, you will find the salamander in multiple varieties–three sorts this season.The first, about three to five inches long, is the Blue-spotted salamander that lives in the forest–of Minnesota–its markings reminiscent of vintage enamelware, with light-blue speckling–although some might have no such speckling at all. They have four front toes and five back toes, which makes them unique. Such a salamander lives a good life under a leaf, in an old rotting log in an old growth forest, in the wetlands. Salamanders look for moist retreats, like, remember? the cool cement on the basement stairs of a garage floor (my favorite place to find one).
Even though we list it in the catalog this season, the blue-spotted salamander is fine for now, but there are several salamanders that are under special concern. And thus their place in this catalog reflects this concern. The four-toed salamander, for example, is vulnerable to habitat destruction, pollution, things like this. The Mudpuppy, another salamander, is declining too. Habitat issues.
The Salamander is priceless, obviously. So, practically speaking, if this fellow remains a concern, and disappears completely, a leaf will lose a friend, a child might lose a friend and the rare salamander mussel will too. Also, of course, the cost will be the loss of an opportunity to see such creatures in the forest. We’ll miss the mudpuppy small eyes and a paddle-like tail, (which it uses to propel itself during rapid swimming.) And its bushy, red gills, that are bright red and conspicuous when in heavily oxygenated water.
Other specifications:
Consider residual effects. (See Catalog entry: Seasons.) It is also the only known host for the larval form of the rare salamander mussel, so it seems like it will be a problem for the rare salamander mussel too, if it does indeed disappear. (The rare salamander mussel will also lose a friend).
Note:
Find The Salamander in The (Death of a) Thing: A curation. A musing. A monologue. (We invite you to read this musing).