It’s no surprise that the middle of summer in Texas is not the best time of year for birding. Sure, there are birds – great birds, like Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Painted Buntings. But for birdwatchers themselves -  a stroll in the woods, through a meadow, or even along a shoreline can be a dangerously hot outing. It is much easier to find and appreciate the abundant insect life in the summers, as well as the turtles, frogs, skinks,  and snakes.

Snakes have been high on my list this summer, and I have enjoyed a few sightings of the resident Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) around my house. But my neighbors have told me about a much larger snake – several snakes, in fact: big and black, with a stripe. I’ve only caught one glimpse, as I pulled up into my driveway. I went right back outside in hopes of getting a good look, but to no avail.

What I did find, on the other side of my house, was this three-foot snake skin:

This photo shows the snake skin exactly how I found it. I only discovered this snake skin after removing several large shrubs from underneath a Crepe Myrtle tree (pre-100% Native plant days). The tiny baby Green Anole (Anolis carolinenesis) moved, which is the only way I would have seen him. Read the rest of this entry »

What can you do in 95 minutes?

Run errands. Go out to eat. Watch a TV show or two. Play a game of cards or even Scrabble.

or…

Do a load of laundry. Clean the kitchen AND the bathroom. Run to the grocery store.

or…

Go outside and walk around with your camera. Don’t have 95 minutes? I’ll share mine. I took these photos around my home between 5:34pm and 7:09pm. 95 minutes well spent!

rough green snake in flame acanthus

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This is a picture of the very first Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) I have ever encountered. I was photographing a pair of Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis) at the rear edge of  the pond in my back yard when I spotted her. She was ever-so-slowly making her way through the vegetation, about 2 feet off the ground. I froze for an instant, then swung my camera around to capture her image before she took off. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the closest encounter I have ever had with a Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis). I was standing out in my backyard, near the fence, under a canopy of trees. True, I was hoping to spot a Green Anole, but was a bit surprised at how close by he passed. I think he was more intent on guarding his territory…or looking for love. Read the rest of this entry »

I visit my gardens often, but have to admit that I was completely blown away by the tadpole explosion in the smaller of my two ponds. You’d think I would know if I was about to have hundreds of frog babies in my pond, but I never saw the eggs. Clearly, they were well-hidden – just look at this! Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first tree frog I have ever seen in person! Or should I say, this is the first time I have ever seen a frog in a tree. I’m not convinced that it is necessarily the same thing. I’ll admit right now that after a few minutes of bleary-eyed study of my Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, I’ve given up trying to identify this frog species. I’m saving my late night hour for a story and a mystery. Read the rest of this entry »

After waiting all winter for the reptiles and amphibians to come out once again, the time is finally here! This picture was taken on March 15, after several nights of hearing frogs calling. I finally spotted this frog (probably a Leopard frog), hiding out under my bronze baby hippo (her name is Ruby). Aaa-HA! This is the smaller of my two ponds – not that you can get a good look from this picture. I am going to share a series of herp-proving photos that span from this day, past March 21 when we had a surprise snow, and up through this past weekend. The herps are stirring! Read the rest of this entry »

I have to admit that I’ve struggled with myself over whether or not to write about this series of photos. This look at the crumpled remains of a frog is kind of gross…but so very fascinating! Whatever animal had this toad for dinner left behind the skin, part of the spinal column, and other tissue that I cannot name. As for the toad ID…well, we all love a good mystery!

So, here we go…

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With the 3rd edition of House of Herps right around the corner, I made it a priority to go outside to see if I could find any herp-life around my backyard pond. Thanks to one of my dogs, I found a herp – but alas, it was not alive. The really interesting discovery was that this lifeless snake was tied in a knot! Read the rest of this entry »