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Be careful what you hope for. I spent some time in Texas in the 70s and then lived there thru the 90s. In the 70s ticks/chiggers were horrendous in the east Texas woodlands, But then a new creature was accidentally introduced that has knocked the tick and chigger population down to tolerable...

Crap! Yeah. 70 One of those "late middle-aged moments" I guess... Dave

Beauty, truly, is in the eye of the beholder. I've always considered the bright, yellowish orange and red corns of the southeast coastal plain to be unabashedly garish in comparison with the understated elegance of the New Jersey corns. The Japanese have a word for it: shibumi - subdued...

Corn snake...conspicuous by its absence? With all the wonderful reports and exceptional photos of snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and salamanders observed last year and this spring in the PB's, one species that I use to considered it a particular joy to find back in the 50's and 60's has yet...

Based on point made in detail in an earlier thread on the same topic, I lay heavy odds on any pine barrens cougar being an escaped captive! Claims that there "sure are cougars in the pine barrens" are surely the result not of objective evidence, but of romantic wishful thinking of a return to...

Gorgeous creature! Great shot! I like the back-lighting. Dave

Just to extend the alliteration... howzabout: "primitive personally portable piney porta-potty putatively produced for promoting precision pooping..?" Yeah; it's late... Night all- Dave

I agree with Jeff- it's a young, recently-shed northern water snake. The orange and maroon regions will darken with age until it becomes and old, basically black, patternless snake - until its scales are spread ( after a big meal, when flattening the body as part of its defense display...) to...

Such numbered boards (often with a 3-4 short pieces of one-by or two-by attached to the underside to give a bit of elevation from the substrate) are usually laid out in a grid and all snakes caught underneath during a given period of time are marked. They are called ... wait for it ... "SNAKE...

WAYDAGO ! Dave

Cornell Cooperative Extension says there are several non-chemical ways to stop the pests. The group recommends putting duct tape around the tree, sticky side out, so the caterpillars stick to it. Other options include shooting them with a garden hose and putting out a birdfeeder to attract their...

Hey, Ben, Since y'brung it up... I'm really pleased that the thread has continued. I've thought, several times, about jumping in, but must admit that most of the points I was going to make have already been made with concision and clarity. It is a real pleasure to be a member of this...

Mike, Whereabouts in Fairfield County be ye? I used to live between Springdale and New Cannan on Woodway Rd. Near the Woodway Golf course - in and around the water hazards of which I had my first childhood interactions with N.sipedon back in the 40's. Dave

A docile watersnake? Back in the day when they were good 'ol Natrix sipedon they were very feisty, nasty, snappy bastards! I used to collect them in Fairfield Co. Connecticut and Westchester Co. New York and two or three times each summer I'd take a bunch in to the Bronx Zoo where they were...

Snakehunter7: I presume you're in high school; what are your plans for college? As an avid life-long avocational herpetologist I can well relate to your interest in and enthusiasm for the scientific discipline of herpetology. It was my original goal (back in the 1950's) to become a...

Just a caution: gopher tortoise holes are favored retreats of the eastern diamondbacked rattlesnake - and they may rest out of the sun just inside the entrance. I've come upon several under just those circumstances. As for longevity of the species, I've heard of several in captivity that...

Nice king and a very nice shot! I must admit that I'm in awe of how many digital cameras can make the very best of difficult lighting situations - such as this one. Your shot proves that not every close-up requires flash! In fact, I think this shot is a far more effective rendering of the...

Having had much experience at raptor nest I can attest that a few species species can be guaranteed to make painful physical contact with someone actually at their nest (great-horned owls, goshawks, Cooper's hawks) while the others here listed (red-tailed hawk, ferruginous hawk, kestrel, Harris...

Just a word of caution: Unless you are posessed of both a state and federal scientific collector's permit that specifically covers the species of interest, it is illegal to be in possession of any native North American migratory bird or any part thereof. Sorry 'bout that. Dave