Newt Season in the Bay Area

Different stages of newt egg development.

Just below of the surface of ponds across the Bay Area, newts are breeding!

Development of the embryos

Getting close to hatching! Check out the gills!

During the rainy season, newts migrate from their home on land to ponds up to 2 miles away. The texture of their skin changes and becomes smoother when they reach their pond. In males, their skin lightens in color and their tail becomes flat to help with swimming.

Newts mate, then lay egg clusters are laid. Females are motionless for long periods of time underwater as they attach their eggs to the submerged vegetation.

This female has picked her leaf and is beginning to lay eggs.

Female laying eggs

One of the best places to view 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 great. 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).

Roads have been built through their habitat across the Bay Area, leading to declining populations. Their populations have become fragmented across their range.

Newts looking for their next meal in the leaf litter of the pond.