Hi Brian,

Thanks for the information and links. I read the grays can survive freezing for a few days at a time, but even ones this small and young? They are so delicate and some smaller than my little fingernail. How does something so small establish a place to hibernate in such a short time? The first group still had lots of summer left to establish themselves.

I know that they have a large range but don't they acclimate to the climate they live in?

We live in what is now a retirement area, lots of developing going on, fragmenting habitat, probably the reason I had to run over so many that night on the way home, they were trying to get to the river and the nearby lake. Now there is a road between them and their breeding areas.

When we moved here 17 years ago there was so much wildlife, we regularly saw fox, deer, bobcats, bears, raccoon, possum, chipmunks, rabbits, turtles, frogs, toads, squirrels, snakes, skinks, gorgeous salamanders... Now it is rare to see much of any of the large animals, and even small animals are becoming scarce. I just thought if I could give some of these little guys a better chance...