The mountain ranges of
southern Arizona, June 2022
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An eastern garter snake (Thamnophis s.
sirtalis) found right off the bat in Eric's
backyard.
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This American bullfrog (Lithobates
catesbeianus) was found swimming around in a
puddle in the middle of the trail.
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This American toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
was found along a trail in PA.
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Eric's
wife spotted this miniscule northern ring-necked snake
(Diadophis punctatus edwardsii) in
their yard. |
The plastron of an eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys
p. picta) is unpatterned, in contrast to the
western subspecies.
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We rescued this eastern painted turtle off of a
busy road on our way to NJ.
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An eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)
found by Eric on the side of a tree in the Pine Barrens
of NJ.
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This tiny eastern fence lizard must have hatched
very recently.
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This wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) was
one of the few herps found on a trail in DE.
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Another American Toad found in the Pine Barrens.
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Rob spotted this nice ribbon snake (Thamnophis
s. saurita) in the Barrens.
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Numerous southern leopard frogs (Rana
utricularia) were seen in marshy areas of the Pine
Barrens.
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A recent metamorph of the American toad.
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This was a welcome sight! I saw what looked
like scales in the thick undergrowth and thought my eyes
were playing tricks on me.
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No tricks! The scales belonged to a very gravid
female timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
that was out basking in the heat of the day.
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| What a cool find, especially in the Pine Barrens,
where timbers are not as commonly found. |
This was probably the best looking American toad
we saw. Such a cool and colorful pattern! |
Rob flipped this eastern worm snake (Carphophis
a. amoenus) under a large rock. |
I was very happy to flip this eastern milk snake
(Lampropeltis t. triangulum) near where the worm
snake was found.
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It was beautiful, even though it was in shed.
Happy to see this lifer. |
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| This tiny
four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)
was found crawling through a magical, moss-filled
forest. |
This was where the salamander was found. Such an
incredible habitat! |
Another
timber rattlesnake was spotted as it was crossing the
road. We were a bit distracted by a huge wreck on the
other side of the road. |
The timber in it's
habitat in the Pine Barrens. This was the 4th specimen
found by our herping crew that day. Thanks to Mike for
showing us around!
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Closeup of the timber. This guy was so calm and
didn't really rattle until he was making his way back in
to the forest. Such a beautiful species!
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| Top view of a perfect
timber. This was the look I was hoping to see. |
Robert and his sons
showed us around their neighborhood and caught some cool
snakes to show us like this common water snake (Nerodia
sipedon).
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These guys were
everywhere around a neighboorhood pond. |
This was a male I was
able to find and catch myself. These guys can be quite
feisty, but fun to catch!
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Another shot of this
guy showing off the nice reds in the pattern. |
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Owen spotted this
eastern garter snake as it was hanging out in front of
his burrow off the trail a bit.
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I am not sure how
Nick spotted this juvenile red-bellied snake (Storeria
occipitomaculata) crawling through the grass.
Crazy small!
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Robert took us over
to a nice waterfall trail that had some cool snakes.
Most, like this eastern milksnake, were deep in rock
cracks.
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This common water
snake was hiding, not so effectively, behind some leaves
on top of the rocks. I moved the leaves and he stayed
put.
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A nice shot of the
water with the waterfall in the background.
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A fairly large (for
this species) ring-necked snake deep in a crack.
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Eric spotted this
northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen)
in a rock crack on a trail in DE.
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We waited around
until the copperhead left the crack so we could get a
better view. Such an amazingly cryptic species!
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Look at that pattern!
Very happy to add this species to my life list! Big
thanks to Rob for planning a great trip and Eric for his
hospitality!
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