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Pickerel frogs are supposed to range statewide, but I have never found them on outer coastal plains soils. In Burlington County I have found them on the inner coastal plain, but not the outer. Here in Mercer County, and North, the juveniles like to overwinter in springs. I've never seen the...

I've heard them calling and I have heard the chuckles and grunts that are the 'textbook' Southern leopard frog call in the pines. I've never heard the new leopard frog call in the barrens, although truth be told it sounds like the same 'voice' singing a slightly different song. I am not sure...

I'd be flamed right off the map by the "academic" herpers for saying this, but it sounds to me like a Southern leopard frog mimicking a wood frog. Compare the call of the new leopard frog species... ...to the wood frog:

That's interesting, I've never heard that, but I definitely see the resemblance!

When you say red milks, is that referring to L. t. syspila or L. t. elapsoides?

Dragon, aren't the 'Coastal Plains' milk snakes intergrades between L.t.triangulum and L.t.elapsoides?

No doubt. This is the reason why when I am looking for animal tracks with kids I tell them not to even go near scat. Awful.

I second what Dragoncjo is saying. I have seen a lot of Leopard frogs in the barrens with what I could only describe as a metallic luster, quite beautiful.

Agreed, especially regarding the education piece. Both of my sons have handled snakes in the wild (gently and with clean hands). I only let them handle the snakes if they are docile, so it's basically been a few garter snakes, brown snakes and one or two docile juvenile water snakes. A few...

Agreed in regards to the running away, but still I think that this was a very atypical bear encounter. I say this especially because the encounter began when the bear approached a group of grown men, which, to my understanding, is nearly unheard of. I would guess it was a young male bear living...

Very sorry to read this news: http://www.nj.com/passaic-county/index.ssf/2014/09/edison_man_22_found_dead_in_west_milford_after_bear_encounter.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Now your comment about the spined micrathena is funny, because I swore to someone just last month that I've eaten at least 100 of them. I keep a 'spider stick' so that I can twirl up the web before walking through now. I thought it was just me. Regarding the leg full of ticks, God bless...

The gif is cute, it's nice to see kids enjoying the pines. I edited this to change an awkwardly worded post. Regarding Homo sapiens, there are a lot of very nice people on this forum and in the pines. I agree with your sentiment that going into the woods takes you away from people for a while...

The father in me and the teacher in me both want to add an 'and' not a 'but...' For my kids, I give them both. I give them a lot of experiences outdoors and I believe will tie in to their education later in school. Science, critical thinking, math, measurement, making observations, all of it...

Glad that you are okay. I carry an epi-pen everywhere because of this. I don't even know for sure that I am allergic, but there is always a chance that I, someone with me, or someone else who I come across may need it. I've experienced similar things to what Al wrote. Just yesterday I was...

Little more classic rock for you fellas:

Oji, is that the cedar swamp area in Brendan Byrne along the red trail?

Thanks Joe, I can only take credit with snapping the photos. The expertise is Al's.

I had the smell of pine, deet and snake musk in my nose for a few days afterward. Good stuff!

Over the past few weeks I've had the pleasure of being able to photograph a pine barrens tree frog, as well as a few specimens of the new population of green tree frogs in Salem County. They are beautiful creatures and are a joy to observe and hear in the field. Many thanks to Al for his...