PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

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chrish
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PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by chrish »

I was going to make the photo essay for this half-month Fall Colors as it looks like it was next on the list, but then I thought it might be fun to expand the definition a bit and say Seasonal Herp Shots.

So the idea is to post a photo of a herp taken in the field that is indicative of the season in which it was found. This could include fall leaves, but might also include things like turtles under frozen ponds, snakes basking at the edge of a snow drift, seasonal temporary pools with breeding amphibians, etc.

Try to make sure the photo isn't just a "seasonal species" but rather includes something in the photo that tells you about what season it was.

Be creative, have fun.

1. Only one photo per person per day.
2. Max dimensions of photos is 1024 pixels on longest side.
3. The photo (not just the herp itself) should indicate something about the season.
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krismunk
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by krismunk »

Snakes on snow are so trite - have a lizard ;)

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Brendan
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Brendan »

Ruber in spring wild flowers.

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Jason B
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Jason B »

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Streamside salamander - Ambystoma barbouri
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by bgorum »

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Gorum_120819_0006 by bgorum, on Flickr
Here in the southwest the summer monsoons just wouldn’t be the same without spadefoots.
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chrish
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by chrish »

bgorum wrote:Image
Gorum_120819_0006 by bgorum, on Flickr
Here in the southwest the summer monsoons just wouldn’t be the same without spadefoots.
WOW! That is an awesome photograph!
Were you trying to catch the lighting or was that just lucky?
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by bgorum »

The lightning was intentional. Here is what I posted to my Facebook page the next day after I took the photo- " I was up until 3 am trying to take this photo. I rarely stop to photograph toads on the road at night, because frankly, if you’ve seen one flashed photo of a toad on a road, you’ve seen them all. But last night as I was driving home from road cruising I got caught in a series of downpours. After driving through one I started seeing toads on the road and lots of lightning in the sky and an idea for a photo hit me. Problem was the area I was in was hilly, so when I would lay on the road with the toad the sky was blocked. Once I reached Bosque del Apache the landscape was flatter and I had a clearer view of the sky, but it had not rained there yet and there were no toads out! Just south of San Antonio the rain started pouring, so I turned around and headed back south, and BDA was getting hammered. The storm passed quickly, the toads were everywhere, but now the lightning was mostly gone! So I found this Couch’s spadefoot, still dirty from having just emerged from the ground, and framed it against the one part of the sky that still had lightning. I’m reasonably happy with the result, but I think its a work in progress, and if the rainy weather will just hold on until at least next weekend maybe I’ll get exactly what I want. — at Bosque del Apache."

This was a 30 second exposure with two wireless flashes used to light the toad and the roadway. As it turns out the rainy weather did not last until the next weekend, so ill have to try again next summer.
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Norman D
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Norman D »

Nice shots everyone!

Hopi rattlesnake crawling around spring flowers
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umop apisdn
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by umop apisdn »

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Plethodon yonahlossee in NC, taken early October.
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by AsydaBass »

umop apisdn- That is a lovely picture of an interesting species. Would you mind including some information about the photo for everyone to enjoy?

-Don
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Matt Buckingham »

An obligatory salamander on fall leaf shot. I'm not a huge fan of salamander photos with leaves with bright colors and heavy saturation, as I feel it competes with the main subject. (Not to say I haven't taken my fair share, I'm sure we all have!)

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Central Newt by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr
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chrish
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by chrish »

This photo of a Sheep Frog (Hypopachus variolosus) just says rainy season to me. It was floating and calling from a muddy roadside ditch near Palenque, CHIS, MX. Outside of the rainy season these frogs simply don't come out.

It's too bad I zoomed in so far because this frog was calling from a flooded roadside ditch full of floating trash which says "rainy season in tropical mexico" even more.

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I waited for the stupid frog to call for about 10 minutes and it never would while I was watching. :x
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Stohlgren
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Stohlgren »

Yep. A salamander on fall leaves. I think the leaves suit this Gyrinophilus well, though.

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MHollanders
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by MHollanders »

Deep winter copperhead.

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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Antonsrkn »

Ambystoma laterale and vernal pool
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In our lowland forests up here certain areas get inundated during the spring, typically salamanders especially blue spots can easily be found around the edges.

I have been looking for photos to post for this theme, I have a couple that are stretching it so I have resisted posting them but I think this one fit well.
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umop apisdn
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by umop apisdn »

Never thought I'd get a shot like this. In a part of SC where snow like this is a once-every-15-years sort of event.

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Canebrake rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus in February.
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by bgorum »

Image
Gorum_120729_3642 by bgorum, on Flickr
O.k., this might be a bit of a stretch and only really understandable to people from this area, but the weeds behind this New Mexico Garter Snake are Kochia scoparia which don’t have the common name of summer cypress for nothing!
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chrish
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by chrish »

bgorum wrote:O.k., this might be a bit of a stretch and only really understandable to people from this area, but the weeds behind this New Mexico Garter Snake are Kochia scoparia which don’t have the common name of summer cypress for nothing!
Not a stretch at all. If the plants are seasonal, its a seasonal photo! Those plants are probably more seasonable than snow in some areas.
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Stohlgren »

Eurycea bislineata found in a seepage area, surrounded by snow and ice.

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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Kevin Messenger »

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Heterodon simus - for most east coast herpers (at least that I know), October means looking for simus. For me, it also means pumpkin ale!

I know it's late by a few days, but simus can still be found in November too
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Antonsrkn »

A blanding's turtle and some yellow water lillies in the background. The yellow water lilly blooms during the summer (from June to September) here in WI.
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An Endangered turtle with plant of special concern here in WI, when I took the photo I had no idea about the plant I just thought it looked pretty, it was kind of interesting to find out it was listed as "special concern".

I think I have a few more photos of herps with seasonal plants that I will try to post.
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by RCampbell »

Spring Side-blotch Lyon County, NV

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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by bgorum »

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Gorum_111120_0492 by bgorum, on Flickr
A painted turtle leaving a drying marsh in early winter. We don't get a lot of snow here, so it's the lack of color in the vegetation, the grey light, and the turtle that's been awakened from its winter nap, (though they do that voluntarily anyhow during sunny winter days here), that identify the season in this one.
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by ThatFrogGuy »

I know you all don't usually like bright backgrounds, but I like this photo because it shows that opacum are found during fall.
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Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by RobertH »

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California Kingsnake during springtime in Northern California.

Photo taken by my 10-year old son Nicholas.
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Re: PHOTO ESSAY - Nov 1 - 15 - SEASONAL HERP PHOTOS

Post by Matt Buckingham »

A sign of summer with blooming water lilies.

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American Alligator by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr
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