It's raining here this morning, so I thought I would put this together.
My year in review is actually a little bit more. I didn’t get to finish my YIR last year, so this post will include some stuff from the end of last year as well that I never posted. It has been a busy 18 months for me, with a new job and a toddler. That being said, I have taken only one deliberate trip to see some reptiles- this year for my birthday. And I didn’t even go anywhere exotic. I went down the street to an area where I know canebrakes can be found. The rest of my finds and photos are pretty much incidental.
Let’s get on with it. I hope you enjoy viewing these pics as much as I did taking them. They are in roughly chronological order (last year’s pics are mixed in with the months that they occurred).
Some frog eggs I found in a vernal pool at work:
2Frogspawn by bwboone, on Flickr
I got to photograph a prescribed fire as well:
3Camera Unload 3.11.14 044 by bwboone, on Flickr
Elf Orpine, or Diamorpha from a rock outcrop on site. This tiny little plant blooms profusely in the spring, and then dies back for the rest of the year, and makes a crunchy brown carpet. It is only found on Granite Rock Outcrops.
4dia sma Elf Orpine Army by bwboone, on Flickr
4diamorpha smalli world by bwboone, on Flickr
4Diamorpha smalli by bwboone, on Flickr
Spring blooming shrubs. Native azaleas:
4DSC01765 by bwboone, on Flickr
4DSC01802 by bwboone, on Flickr
4DSC01842 by bwboone, on Flickr
Fothergilla:
4fothergilla1 by bwboone, on Flickr
A ruby throated hummingbird taking a rest:
4hummer by bwboone, on Flickr
A great spot at work. Right on the edge of a cow pasture, this place floods in the spring, and is the breeding site for Pseudacris. It was hard to stand here long enough to take the picture, the choruses were so loud.
4lovely spot by bwboone, on Flickr
This was cool. I found the pupa of this big girl while I was raking the yard in the late winter/early spring. So I brought it into a sheltered location and set it up for a couple of months while it finished developing. This is what I had waiting for me one night when I was turning off lights in the shed: a Regal Moth. This is as she was taken outside and released that night:
5Citheronia regalis by bwboone, on Flickr
And what the caterpillars (called Hickory Horned Devils) look like:
19sepIMG_6684 by bwboone, on Flickr
20sepIMG_6691 by bwboone, on Flickr
I keep a running list of herps that I find in and around my property at home. I had several new species of snakes (four, if I remember correctly) get added this year. Most exciting was this kingsnake:
5house king by bwboone, on Flickr
And this ringneck:
5house ring by bwboone, on Flickr
5house ring hand by bwboone, on Flickr
And rough green:
. by bwboone, on Flickr
The fourth was a garter snake, but I forgot to upload any photos of that one.
This king was found as it was swimming across a pond at work:
. by bwboone, on Flickr
This Yellowbelly had just finished laying eggs:
5Trachemys scripta by bwboone, on Flickr
Atamasco lily:
5Zephyranthes atamasca by bwboone, on Flickr
Vacation was fun. We went down to the coast and spent some time with my family.
6all mis by bwboone, on Flickr
6cne sex by bwboone, on Flickr
6DSC02508 by bwboone, on Flickr
6DSC02510 by bwboone, on Flickr
6eum lat by bwboone, on Flickr
6gas car by bwboone, on Flickr
6hem tur by bwboone, on Flickr
Mama osprey and some ugly babies:
6pan hal by bwboone, on Flickr
6predator and prey by bwboone, on Flickr
6sca hol by bwboone, on Flickr
Corn found crossing the road, back at work:
6Elaphe guttata CEWC by bwboone, on Flickr
A trip to the Go Fish Center in Perry GA was pretty neat… managed to find a few herps there even while chaperoning a teacher’s workshop. The fish were in the cypress swamp exhibit.
Bowfin:
7 Amia calva by bwboone, on Flickr
Gar:
7 Lepisosteus oculatus by bwboone, on Flickr
7Dueling Cowbells by bwboone, on Flickr
7Pontederia cordata by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
9apa fer by bwboone, on Flickr
This summer also provided me with a couple of lifers. Again, these were found on trips that I had other duties to be doing. This was all incidental herping! The one that I was most excited about was this juvenile Green Salamander. I have been looking for these for years, and finally found this one, clinging upside down to a rock shelf above my head. It was a glorious moment!
7ane aen! by bwboone, on Flickr
7Aneides aeneus by bwboone, on Flickr
These were not lifers for me, just cool to see and photograph:
7car amo by bwboone, on Flickr
7Cool Ant Mound by bwboone, on Flickr
7Eur luc spotlight by bwboone, on Flickr
7Eurycea lucifuga by bwboone, on Flickr
And the inside of the cave from where the previously pictured plethodontid was found:
7Looking In by bwboone, on Flickr
And the view looking out of the mouth of the cave:
7Looking Out by bwboone, on Flickr
I know some of you do not believe that this was all incidental herping. I swear it is true though! You can ask my boss!
A sunset after a storm one night at work. Taken from the driveway heading out:
. by bwboone, on Flickr
Some snakes from our Backyard Wildlife Habitat example:
7lam get by bwboone, on Flickr
7Nerodia sipedon by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
Never seen a whole lot of life out on the rock outcrops, but this is one of my favorites out there, Lichen Grasshopper:
7Trimerotropis saxatilis by bwboone, on Flickr
This was a fun surprise one day. Driving in to work, saw this Scissor Tailed Flycatcher hanging out on the road. Another lifer. Apparently, it caused quite a stir in the bird world around these parts:
7Tyrannus forficatus by bwboone, on Flickr
7Tyrannus forficatus1 by bwboone, on Flickr
I had a great year with the big silk moths. Another one that I successfully watched emerge:
. by bwboone, on Flickr
And now for the one dedicated herping trip I went on this year. For my birthday, I told my wife that I wanted to go hiking. I have had a tradition for about ten years now to seek out a ‘Birthday Snake’. Something venomous is preferred, but not necessary. So we loaded up the kiddo and went to a place that we like to hike around, not even 5 minutes from the house. I timed it perfectly this year:
8babypile by bwboone, on Flickr
8babypile1 by bwboone, on Flickr
8babycane by bwboone, on Flickr
8babypile2 by bwboone, on Flickr
8babyrock by bwboone, on Flickr
A total of 11 canebrakes were seen, including this monster, rattleless adult. It crawled out of a crevice under a boulder I was standing on, and proceeded to drop down into another hole in between where my wife and I were standing. It was incredible!
. by bwboone, on Flickr
Also seen during the hike, and no less lovely:
8sce und rns by bwboone, on Flickr
8Sce und rns1 by bwboone, on Flickr
Great camouflage, isn’t it?
8dragon by bwboone, on Flickr
8White tailed skimmer by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
4actias luna by bwboone, on Flickr
23sep by bwboone, on Flickr
21sepDSC06266 by bwboone, on Flickr
24sepDSC06259 by bwboone, on Flickr
3augDSC05430 by bwboone, on Flickr
4augDSC05435 by bwboone, on Flickr
5augDSC05439 by bwboone, on Flickr
6augDSC05449 by bwboone, on Flickr
7augDSC05454 by bwboone, on Flickr
8augDSC05460 by bwboone, on Flickr
9augDSC05462 by bwboone, on Flickr
10augDSC05465 by bwboone, on Flickr
11augDSC05472 by bwboone, on Flickr
28sepDSC06255 by bwboone, on Flickr
27sepDSC06229 by bwboone, on Flickr
25sepDSC05995 by bwboone, on Flickr
26sepDSC05996 by bwboone, on Flickr
29sepDSC05991 by bwboone, on Flickr
Sign I saw from a gas station while I was filling up one day. I don’t think that I would eat that that restaurant….
16sepDSC05705 by bwboone, on Flickr
Annie, our front porch toad:
12augDSC05557 by bwboone, on Flickr
A very ungrateful canebrake that I moved off the road:
1julDSC05232 by bwboone, on Flickr
2julDSC05240 by bwboone, on Flickr
1julDSC05201 by bwboone, on Flickr
3augDSC05330 by bwboone, on Flickr
15augmarshmallow by bwboone, on Flickr
More late summer inverts:
23sepDSC05915 by bwboone, on Flickr
17sepDSC05804 by bwboone, on Flickr
18sepDSC05551 by bwboone, on Flickr
22sepDSC05423 by bwboone, on Flickr
9DSC04768 by bwboone, on Flickr
And something that likes to eat them:
DSC00125 by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
A trip to the coast of Alabama in September was productive too. Again, this was all incidental herping:
racer on bike by bwboone, on Flickr
racer on road by bwboone, on Flickr
ribbon by bwboone, on Flickr
While riding my bike one morning, I saw movement off to the side of the bike path. I stopped, and hopped off to check it out. I’m glad that I did- another lifer for me! Oak toad:
9buf que hand by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
9col con in situ1 by bwboone, on Flickr
9col con in situ2 by bwboone, on Flickr
I stopped to photograph this green heron at a little gator watering hole (yes, the water was really that color!). I got home and noticed there was a cottonmouth crawling across the sand in the background of the photo. Had I noticed it while I was there, I would have taken other photos of the snake. This was the only one that I got of this individual….I had been so engrossed in watching the green heron feeding.
9cotton and green by bwboone, on Flickr
Speaking of feeding, on the other side of this bike path, at the same gator hole, I saw a cottonmouth among the roots in a feeding position. There were mummichogs or mosquitofish in the water that it was preparing to eat. It spooked when I suddenly appeared, and then crawled back into the rootwork. I felt bad that I kept it from getting breakfast that morning, but I didn’t realize that it was there when I walked up to the edge of the water.
9cotton in situ by bwboone, on Flickr
9cotton strike position by bwboone, on Flickr
More fun stuff. My Father-in-Law took us out on a boat so that my daughter could see some dolphins. They did not disappoint:
9dolphin jumping by bwboone, on Flickr
9dolphin jumping2 by bwboone, on Flickr
Cool hoverfly photobomb:
9hoverfly by bwboone, on Flickr
Has anyone ever heard of ‘Jubilee’? Apparently, down on the Gulf, runs of baitfish come in periodically and the birds come in from all over. There were gulls and terns EVERYWHERE at my wife’s aunt and uncle’s house. It was almost a little like watching Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’, fairly creep-inducing, but much less sinister.
9jubilee by bwboone, on Flickr
9jubilee1 by bwboone, on Flickr
9jubilee2 by bwboone, on Flickr
Some YOY skimmers that refused to take part in the fish party:
9tres skimmers by bwboone, on Flickr
Some young and juvenile gopher tortoise tracks from other bike rides:
. by bwboone, on Flickr
9young gop pol tracks by bwboone, on Flickr
9young gop pol tracks2 by bwboone, on Flickr
While on vacation, my bike rides have turned up a fair number of herps. Here are a few of note from this fall.
First, a very cooperative coachwhip (two seen within about ten minutes of each other):
9mas fla in situ2 by bwboone, on Flickr
9mas fla in situ head1 by bwboone, on Flickr
9Ophisaurus ventralis by bwboone, on Flickr
This was a cool observation. Someone had squished a katydid on the bike path, and a fence lizard was taking advantage of an easy meal and breaking off bite-sized parts and eating them. When I rolled up, it scooted off the edge of the pavement with a mouthful of wing and parked in the sand to finish eating. I watched it come back and get another mouthful, then run back. When I came back down the path about 20 minutes later, the katydid was mostly gone, and the fence lizard had gone back to the shrub line.
9sce und snack1 by bwboone, on Flickr
9sce und snack2 to go by bwboone, on Flickr
Further down the bike path, this awaited me:
. by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
9sis mil bar5 by bwboone, on Flickr
9Stagmomantis carolina by bwboone, on Flickr
I love pitcherplants. They are just amazing to me, and I was excited to find this grove of them one morning. These are Sarracenia leucophylla:
9sar leucophylla field by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
9sar leu tops by bwboone, on Flickr
9sarracenia leucophylla by bwboone, on Flickr
9moon by bwboone, on Flickr
If you have seen any of my Years In Review posts in the past, you may remember that I have been trying to find either nesting or hatching sea turtles. For years. Well, it finally happened last year (these are some of the pics that I never got to post previously).
My in-laws’ neighbor is the coordinator for the sea turtle hatching program in their part of coastal Alabama, and she knew that I had an affiliation for all things coldblooded. She called me up on our last night down there and asked if I would like to come and help with a hatch that had just started to happen. It was several days earlier than expected, and it was 10:30 at night, but was I interested? As my dad likes to say, “Does a chicken have lips?” Heck Yeah, I’ll come and help!
Obviously, you cannot use normal lights with the babies, so these are just a few of the pics that I was able to capture with the ambient red light.
9loggerheads 1 by bwboone, on Flickr
9loggerheads 2 by bwboone, on Flickr
That was quite an experience. 77 babies ended up hatching on their own and crawling through a trench I dug to the ocean. There were two more that did not hatch by the time we left that night, but they were assisted and freed the next morning.
Back at work now. A project I was working on had me out in the woods, where I stumbled upon this supercool plant called Pinesap growing in an old abandoned cemetery. It lacks chlorophyll, and thusly cannot photosynthesize its food, so gets it from root fungi parasitism. Fascinating stuff!
. by bwboone, on Flickr
9Monotropa hypopitys1 by bwboone, on Flickr
Monarchs in the backyard:
10Danaus plexippus by bwboone, on Flickr
Another trip for work yielded this cricket frog…:
10acr gry by bwboone, on Flickr
…on the edge of this pond:
10sunrise by bwboone, on Flickr
Once the sun rose, this is what I saw. Lots of love grass, covered in the dew of a cool October morning.
10clouds1 by bwboone, on Flickr
10clouds by bwboone, on Flickr
As it warmed, I found this little fellow crossing the road in front of my truck. My intern was a little too excited to see it as well, and I was unable to get an in situ shot before she grabbed it.
. by bwboone, on Flickr
A couple of walkingsticks were also located:
10walkingstick by bwboone, on Flickr
10walkingstick1 by bwboone, on Flickr
The remainder of pics are from the end of last year. More pics that I didn’t get to share in my last Year In Review.
A brief trip up to North GA:
10maplecolor by bwboone, on Flickr
Closed gentian. The petals do not open on this unique flower. (Sorry it is sideways…didn’t catch that in the uploading)
10Gentiana andrewsii by bwboone, on Flickr
Turkeytails:
10turkeytail by bwboone, on Flickr
Back down to the coast for a workshop, I saw a few neat birds:
11Ardea herodias by bwboone, on Flickr
11Aythya americana by bwboone, on Flickr
11Calidris alba by bwboone, on Flickr
11Pelecanus occidentalis by bwboone, on Flickr
11phalacrocorax auritus by bwboone, on Flickr
This was pretty wild. One night as I was walking to dinner from where I was staying, I saw a red fox walking down the sidewalk toward me. I stopped and watched, and she just kept coming. She knew I was there, and kept an eye on me, but continued running side to side on the sidewalk, sniffing here and there as she went. When she got within about ten feet of me, she veered off the pavement, circled me, and hopped back on the sidewalk and kept going. She was completely habituated to people, but I was relieved to see that she did not approach me looking for a handout. Unfortunately, I did not see her when I was down there again this year, and heard rumor that she had been relocated.
11Vulpes vulpes by bwboone, on Flickr
11liveoak by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
. by bwboone, on Flickr
We’re down to the end of the review. My in-laws live on a lake, and when we went to see them last Christmas, I decided to walk down to the water to take some pictures of the fog. As I took pictures, I noticed a funny looking spot in one of the images, up in a tree:
12decDSC07108 by bwboone, on Flickr
So I zoomed in and took another pic:
12decDSC07109 by bwboone, on Flickr
Huh. Well how about that? It was an eagle. Just perched up there in that poplar, watching the world go by.
12decDSC07110 by bwboone, on Flickr
As I watched, it took off and flew a lap or two over the water. Then a second eagle, a female- its mate, joined it from the same set of trees. I hadn’t even seen it! Once the pair was both flying, they soared around the point of land and disappeared.
12decDSC07114 by bwboone, on Flickr
A little marbled found while wandering back through the woods to the house:
. by bwboone, on Flickr
Finally, for those whom are still following, a little something to make you smile. From one of the walls in downtown, small city GA:
Bearlax by bwboone, on Flickr
Thanks for viewing. Have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year!
--Berkeley
Year in Review PLUS
Moderator: Scott Waters
- mtratcliffe
- Posts: 533
- Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
- Location: Mt Laurel, NJ
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Looks like you had a great year - thanks for sharing! That's awesome that you got to see those snakes right in your yard, and also that you have some herps near work!
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Sometimes when somebody posts pictures you can see the beauty of their heart.
I loved all the places and every single everything.
you made me say Hi Annie!..
I loved all the places and every single everything.
you made me say Hi Annie!..
- Rich in Reptiles
- Posts: 494
- Joined: November 30th, 2012, 7:45 am
- Location: Missouri
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Wonderful post! Congrats on that green salamander- that was one of my year's lifers too! The elf orpine is gorgeous! It reminds me of one of my favorite Tennessee plants, glade stonecrop.
I really love the photo of the baby hognose arching and flattening its neck! So super squee!
I really love the photo of the baby hognose arching and flattening its neck! So super squee!
-
- Posts: 1165
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:25 am
- Location: Mobile, AL
- Berkeley Boone
- Posts: 878
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Thanks yall! Glad you enjoyed it!
Matt, yeah, I count myself pretty lucky to have such diversity in my yard. I've found 13 species of snakes (two venomous), and 32 species of herps total. Herps right out the door at work (and a laid-back boss!) is a great perk, too.
Kelly, thanks for the kind words. It was an enjoyable time for me, and I am pleased to be able to take you along.
Good stuff, Bethany! Glad you checked that one off as well. Yes, that little hognose was pretty adorable.
Thanks James, it was a good year for kings, I thought. Good to know on the jubilee thing- that was just what my wife's aunt told me it was. It was definitely for more than a couple of hours. I think they had been around for a day or two already when we saw them.
--Berkeley
Matt, yeah, I count myself pretty lucky to have such diversity in my yard. I've found 13 species of snakes (two venomous), and 32 species of herps total. Herps right out the door at work (and a laid-back boss!) is a great perk, too.
Kelly, thanks for the kind words. It was an enjoyable time for me, and I am pleased to be able to take you along.
Good stuff, Bethany! Glad you checked that one off as well. Yes, that little hognose was pretty adorable.
Thanks James, it was a good year for kings, I thought. Good to know on the jubilee thing- that was just what my wife's aunt told me it was. It was definitely for more than a couple of hours. I think they had been around for a day or two already when we saw them.
--Berkeley
- Jeroen Speybroeck
- Posts: 826
- Joined: June 29th, 2011, 1:56 am
- Location: Belgium
- Contact:
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Love the diversity and the non-herp stuff.
-
- Posts: 2248
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Gosh, yes. This post is luminous with love for the natural world.Sometimes when somebody posts pictures you can see the beauty of their heart.
There is so much great stuff here! I would have LOVED to have seen the fence lizard devouring the katydid. Love the caterpillars and moths, also.
This post reminds me that there are little miracles all around us. All we have to do is look. Thank you, Berkeley.
- Mike Pingleton
- Posts: 1471
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
- Location: One of the boys from Illinois
- Contact:
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Pretty good year for 'incidental" herping!
Great natural history post, Mister B. You've got your eyes open.
-Mike
Great natural history post, Mister B. You've got your eyes open.
-Mike
- Berkeley Boone
- Posts: 878
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Thanks Jeroen, I'm glad you enjoyed all the extras. It's always a treat for me to see them as well.
Tamara, thank you for the very kind words! It warms my heart to know that it made such an impression. I'm excited to share my enthusiasm for all that is around us!
Many thanks, Mike! I definitely had a good time, and I think next year will also be a good one.
--Berkeley
Tamara, thank you for the very kind words! It warms my heart to know that it made such an impression. I'm excited to share my enthusiasm for all that is around us!
Many thanks, Mike! I definitely had a good time, and I think next year will also be a good one.
--Berkeley
- walk-about
- Posts: 567
- Joined: June 14th, 2010, 12:04 pm
- Location: 'God's Country' aka western KY
- Contact:
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Berkeley - What a perfectly crafted post. Beautiful shots of the myopic (floral especially) world that surrounds us but is often not appreciated. Love the many insect shots...they are really pretty. Congrats on that Green Salamander! Happy New Years!
Dave
Dave
Re: Year in Review PLUS
really enjoyed your post Berkeley, nice pics man, well done
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Love the moths, especially the Luna. Do you see many of them?
- Berkeley Boone
- Posts: 878
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Thanks Dave, Jedd and Lou! I appreciate it, thank you very much.
Lou, I don't think I could say that I see LOTS of the Lunas, but I see them periodically. I've also found that they seem to be more locally abundant. (i.e- I see a lot of them in the woods/parking lot at work, but not as many in my neighborhood)
Thanks yall! Happy New Year!
--Berkeley
Lou, I don't think I could say that I see LOTS of the Lunas, but I see them periodically. I've also found that they seem to be more locally abundant. (i.e- I see a lot of them in the woods/parking lot at work, but not as many in my neighborhood)
Thanks yall! Happy New Year!
--Berkeley
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Nice mix of shots. Seems like a very good year. Thanks for sharing.
Roki
Roki
- Berkeley Boone
- Posts: 878
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Thanks Roki. I'm putting it in my 'Good Year' category!
Glad you enjoyed the photos.
--Berkeley
Glad you enjoyed the photos.
--Berkeley
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Berkeley,
I love the fact that you capture the whole experience of God's creation. Sometimes I forget the beauty of the plant life and variety of bird life around me when I'm focused on the ground. Nice work and nice year!
Cary
I love the fact that you capture the whole experience of God's creation. Sometimes I forget the beauty of the plant life and variety of bird life around me when I'm focused on the ground. Nice work and nice year!
Cary
- Berkeley Boone
- Posts: 878
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Thanks Cary! I have always enjoyed God's work out there in the field. I am grateful that I get to experience it.
I look forward to getting out with you sometime this spring!
--Berkeley
I look forward to getting out with you sometime this spring!
--Berkeley
Re: Year in Review PLUS
Let's do it!!