I'll approach this fairly chronologically, though I won't be specifying exact dates. As always, more information can usually be found about a particular photo by clicking on the photo and following the link to it's page on my Flickr. Exact locale information is not disclosed, though in a few cases I've disclosed the county/parish, as it was interesting or at least noteworthy to myself.
Link to Entire 2015 Flickr Album
Late Winter - 2015
In January, Armin and I got together one weekend to just see what was up that early in the year. We knew of milk snakes being found on particularly warm days in January/February, so we wanted to give it a shot.
Driving through, it was a pretty cool and frosty morning, but it would warm up to the upper 60's later in the day.
Misty Morning Frost by Kyle, on FlickrNo milk snakes showed up for us, but we did hike up a ribbon snake in the afternoon.
Thamnophis proximus proximus (Orange-striped Ribbons Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Thamnophis proximus proximus (Orange-striped Ribbons Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrAs time allowed, I took a few weekend jaunts to south Texas and the coastal barrier islands in both January, February, and early March. In the right weather, most species can be found active at this time. Here's a few things from that late winter period.
Coastal Sunrise by Kyle, on Flickr
Coastal Dune Swale by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus atrox by Kyle, on Flickr
Agkistrodon piscivorous leucostoma (Western Cottonmouth) by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti schotti (Schott's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti schotti (Schott's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti schotti (Schott's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on FlickrBackyard Frog:
Hyla cinerea (American Green Tree Frog) by Kyle, on Flickr
Destroyed House by Kyle, on Flickr
Rusted Truck by Kyle, on Flickr
Rusted Truck by Kyle, on Flickr
Virginia striatula (Rough Earth Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Left Behind by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti schotti (Schott's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymarchon melanurus erebennus (Texas Indigo Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymarchon melanurus erebennus (Texas Indigo Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis emoryi meahllmorrum (Thornscrub Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula ssp. by Kyle, on FlickrIn late February, I met up with Armin and his buddy Pat for a quick trip to South Texas. It was Armin's birthday, and we planned to celebrate with some south Texas specialties. We did pretty well and got to see several new species for all of us.
Thornscrub Debris by Kyle, on Flickr
Texas Patchnose Shed by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus atrox (Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti ruthveni (Ruthven's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coniophanes imperialis imperialis (Black-Striped Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti ruthveni (Ruthven's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti ruthveni (Ruthven's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pat and Armin by Kyle, on FlickrOn our last day, we had a cold front blow in overnight, and temperatures plummeted into the 40°F's. We woke early, as usual, but Pat was a bit difficult to get motivated. He said we weren't going to find any snakes and it was "Lord of the Rings Marathon weather." Still, after some prodding, we got out and donned our heaviest clothing and did some flipping. Our hands were freezing cold, and the 10-15mph winds weren't helping. Under the first piece of tin, we got a nice chilly atrox, and I think it lifted Pat's spirits a bit.
Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondbacked Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on FlickrShortly after, a small patchnose:
Salvadora grahamiae lineata (Texas Patchnose Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrAnd then, a few minutes later while navigating what looked like Africanized Bee central, I flipped this cool snake under a 1ftx1ft piece of plywood.
Leptodeira septentrionalis (Northern Cat-eyed Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Leptodeira septentrionalis (Northern Cat-eyed Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrFinding that leptodeira was certainly the highlight of the trip, and a good omen for things to come this year.
We continued to herp up the way back towards Houston.
Lampropeltis getula ssp. (Speckled/Desert King Intergrade) by Kyle, on FlickrI continued to spend weekends down there when I could, and a few more things turned up. Barrier island milks are always neat to see, and several showed up this year.
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula ssp. (Speckled/Desert King Intergrade) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula ssp. (Speckled/Desert King Intergrade) by Kyle, on FlickrI spent a bit of time with Blake, near the southern tip of Texas. We had a good bit of fun and found some cool things.
Drymarchon melanurus erebennus (Texas Indigo Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymarchon melanurus erebennus (Texas Indigo Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondbacked Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Texas Tortoise by Kyle, on Flickr
Inland Dune by Kyle, on Flickr
Inland Dunes by Kyle, on Flickr
Inland Dunes by Kyle, on Flickr
Inland Dunes by Kyle, on Flickr
Prickly Pear Cactus by Kyle, on Flickr
Indian Paintbrush and Texas Bluebonnet by Kyle, on Flickr
Resaca by Kyle, on Flickr
Foggy Dunes by Kyle, on Flickr
Green Anole by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymobius margaritiferus (Speckled Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymobius margaritiferus (Speckled Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymobius margaritiferus (Speckled Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymobius margaritiferus (Speckled Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Drymobius margaritiferus (Speckled Racer) by Kyle, on FlickrOne day, we flipped another one of these at the spot I discovered:
Leptodeira septentrionalis (Northern Cat-eyed Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrAnd then cruised one of these not far away:
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrSpring - 2015
Being a calligaster nut, I jumped at the chance to go see mole kings with Tamara and Ray in Alabama. We talked a bit, and then I spoke to Armin about it. What started as a quick weekend jaunt to Alabama turned into a multi-day excursion to Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, and it ended up being one of the most memorable trips I've had, an possibly will have. We did some careful planning, and google mapping, and found some flip sites to target. Our first day was going to be with Diamondback Dave, where he'd show us around his neck of the woods and hopefully we'd get to see some diamondbacks.
I ended up leaving my house in Houston around 1-2am, to get to Armin's in Baton Rouge by 5-6am. We then zipped over to Florida, and I got a quick nap. Close to noon, we were at Dave's and herping. While no diamondbacks showed up at Dave's, and we got rained on most of the day, we still had a really good time and got to see some lifers.
Pantherophis spiloides (Grey Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber flagellum flagellum (Eastern Coachwhip) by Kyle, on Flickr
Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti (Florida Cottonmouth) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber flagellum flagellum (Eastern Coachwhip) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis spiloides (Grey Rat Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrThe following day, we headed back west to meet with Tamara. Our goal was to herp the way back, and then be at Tamara's house around 10pm. We were really wanting to flip a mole king, but I can't complain with how the day went instead.
One of the first finds of the day was this copperhead. We actually saw a couple, which is surprising considering they're supposed to be difficult to find in Florida.
Agkistrodon contotrix contotrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle, on FlickrWe cruised a grey rat during the day:
Pantherophis spiloides (Grey Rat Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrThe main attraction of the day, however, was one we expected to see the least. I copy/pasted this story directly from the Flickr Photos.
And here's the star of that day:Armin and I had planned for this trip thoroughly, and had located many abandoned houses and barns that supported large amounts of artificial cover in good habitat for our targets.
Until you get there, however, you never really know if it's truly abandoned. Such was the situation when we pulled up to this driveway situated adjacent to the drive for an obviously occupied residence. Upon examining the gate, I noticed a layer of leaves covering the bottom of it. It clearly hadn't been opened in a while.
I signaled Armin that we were in the clear, and he turned off the truck and we quietly crept in, making sure not to make too much noise and alert the neighbors. We walked onto the property and saw it was lacking in the cover we had hoped it would have. Still, we had come this far, why not poke around some more?
In the back of the property we came upon a large barn roof/side, laying flat on the ground, that was about 25x25ft. It was fashioned from tin, on top of plywood, supported by 2x4s on the bottom. It was very heavy, and were only able to peak under corners.
As we worked our way around this mightiest of flips, trying to get a peak under the edges, I saw the dirty coil of a large, rough scaled snake slink further under the cover. I shouted to Armin "Big snake! I think it's our diamondback!"
With renewed effort, we heaved to lift this monstrous bit of flip and see what was underneath. Barely getting an edge 3ft off the ground, Armin was able to lean down and rest it on his shoulder and look at the snake, which was now situated about 6-8ft to my right. I couldn't see at all, from where I was lifting.
Through the dust and harsh light, Armin couldn't make out exactly what it was, but he told me "it's either a cotton or a pine, go get it!"
Getting down on my belly I crawled towards it, only part of a dark coil visible to me, no pattern was apparent, and in the light it was truly hard to tell what it was. Hoping it truly was a pine, I gave it a quick poke to see what would happen. With that slight touch, this 4ft pine snake whipped around and we heard a sharp "Hssssssssss!"
The classic "snake noise" in movies was played out before us as this pine snake hiss and tried to scare us away. With that, we quickly grabbed it and danced away victoriously.
Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus (Florida Pine Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus (Florida Pine Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus (Florida Pine Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrOur trip was made, even if we hadn't seen our target! We finished off the day with a scarlet king that was in-shed (no photos).
We made it in Tamara's, and were treated to some heaping bowls of ice cream, and got to talk herps with some of the most enthusiastic herp people I've ever met. Both Tamara and Ray were great hosts, and it was a real treat to get to go out with them. I can't thank them enough for their hospitality and their part in our exciting adventure.
The following morning we woke and Tamara and Ray took us to their mole king spot. We looked around and saw quite a few snakes, but no calligaster showed up. Still, we were having a great time!
Along with this corn snake, we saw another rat, a racer or two, and a pinewoods snake.
Pantherophis guttata (Corn Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrAfter that, we hit another area, hoping for a mole, EDB, or lodingi. We poked around, but nothing showed up. I started looking on google maps for more junk nearby that may have been missed by us. I spotted some stuff, and we drove over to it. We turned up a dirty looking king (one of a couple for the day). Way off down the road in the woods, however, was another few things. Spurred by Tamara's excitement, we made the trek out to it, and got yet another big surprise for the trip.
Again, I've copied the story from the Flickr photo, and pasted here.
As seen:
In early spring, Armin and I met Tamara and her husband Ray to look for Black Pines and Eastern Diamondbacks in southern Alabama.
While both are present in the area, they are by no means a guaranteed find. With that in mind, Tamara took us to an area she had seen them before.
We flipped some trash along a sandy road. A place locals deemed fit to dump couches and old mattresses. An eyesore for sure, but delightful for us. We poured through it, with no snakes to be found. Not even a rat snake!
I pulled out my phone and looked at the satellite images around us, making sure we had thoroughly covered the area. I noticed that just down the road, along a thin dirt road, was a small patch of stuff. Tamara hadn't been there before, and we were excited for new cover to flip.
We arrived, and saw that it was a private drive with "No Trespassing" signs. It looked like the locals paid no attention to this, as there was a well worn path around the gate. No fence hopping required. As they say, when in Rome...
Approaching the small pile of trash we spied a mattress and some old cans and bottles. Not a lot of good flipping material. Turning the mattress yielded an in-shed kingsnake.
Once more, I pulled out my phone, and spied a couple more potential spots that appeared to be fallen hunting stands, about a 1/4 mile down the private drive, along a powerline right-of-way. Tamara, as enthusiastic as ever, led the charge. We arrived to the first of the two spots, and there was only a single 1x4ft board there, and flipping it yielded nothing.
Nearby, however, through the woods was the other spot. We waded through the thick tangle and stumbled into a sunny clearing. We could see some good cover. Two large 4x4 sheets of plywood, propped up by 2x4s laid on the ground, and a layer of three 2x4 sheets of plywood leaned up against it. Excellent looking cover for a large snake like a pine or a diamondback!
With our eyes on the prize, we approached and turned everything over, and much to our chagrin this great looking cover yielded nothing!
Turning to leave back to the car where Ray was waiting for us, Tamara stopped suddenly. "There! There's a snake!"
It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, but as they focused, the form of a large 5ft black snake became apparent to me in the grass we had just walked through. There it was, a big black pine snake, plain as day, and we had walked right by it! The snake had apparently been using the cover over night, and had come out as the sun began to peek over the treeline. Luckily, it didn't leave after we walked by it!
Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi (Blacke Pine Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi (Blacke Pine Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrThat afternoon, Tamara and Ray took us to their hunting property where she has a few bits of cover. This was really excellent looking habitat. Some of the best managed long leaf pine forest I had been in. If we were gonna hike up an EDB, it was here!
We found nothing under cover, but had the rest of the day to explore and see what we could find. We turned up a hognose and a gorgeous scarlet king in short order.
Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis elapsoides (Scarlet Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis elapsoides (Scarlet Kingsnake) by Kyle, on FlickrAt one point, I came across an burned down barn/shelter of some sort, and it had tons of tin around it. Looking through it, yielded nothing. I began to strategically spread some of it out, thus bringing upon the last big find of our trip.
Last little story, taken from my write-up earlier on the Flickr page:
The baby corn:While hiking on well managed private property among mixed hardwoods and longleaf pines, I came across a barn whose timbers had been burned down, so most of the roofing tin was laying on the ground. Hoping for an <i>adamanteus</i>, I began searching under the tin.
Unfortunately, there was nothing taking refuge and thermoregulating under the warm tin. Seeing as it was not in an ideal position, I began spreading it around in strategic areas, so Tamara and Ray could come back in the future and potentially find some neat snakes under it.
I spread a few sheets out, then began to look for Tamara and Armin. I found them about 100 yards off, told them about the barn, and they came to help spread out more tin. A few minutes of that passed, and I wandered around in search of more snakes, turning up a juvenile corn snake under bark.
I took it back to Tamara and Armin, who were standing near some tin I had set out before meeting them. I showed them the corn snake, and we looked at it for a moment. Armin turned to head off, back in the direction of the barn, and stopped before he took a step and said:
"Oh my God, is that a...?!"
Not 5 feet from where we were talking, at the base of a pine tree we had all walked by several times, was this 5ft eastern diamondback curled up and calmly watching us.
It must have been there for 30minutes or more as we trampled around and bumbled by it.
Needless to say, we were all very excited to have one of our final targets of the trip come in on the third day!
Pantherophis guttata (Corn Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrThe EDB:
Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern Diamondback) by Kyle, on FlickrThe final day of the trip we herped our way through Mississippi. We didn't turn up anything huge, but we did find a few things. Early in the morning we flipped a hognose, and then ended up with a scarlet king, and a speckled king later in the day.
Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrFrom around Houston, I turned up some of our local animals.
Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri (Texas Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Agkistrodon contortrix contotrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber constrictor etheridgei (Tan Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Diadophis punctatus stictogenys (Mississippi Ringneck Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Diadophis punctatus stictogenys (Mississippi Ringneck Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on FlickrI met up with Ryan (DracoRJC) one day in April to go find pygmies. It turned out to be really good day, with lots of numbers. We started off the morning with about a half dozen milk snakes, of which I don't think I got any good photos of. But we did turn up my second calligaster of the year, some pretty coppers, coachwhips, and a pygmy.
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Agkistrodon contortrix contotrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber flagellum flagellum (Eastern Coachwhip) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus miliarus streckeri (Western Pygmy Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus miliarus streckeri (Western Pygmy Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on FlickrOne early spring weekend I drug Blake to west Texas, promising him we could have a great time flipping snakes in spring. Maybe we'd find some good stuff, and it's bound to be more fun than the redundant cut shining and road cruising that dominates the eastern Trans-Pecos herping style that you do in the summer.
I was right about it being more fun, but it didn't produce much variety. We saw coachwhips, and central texas whips, patchnose, lots of sonora and tantilla. The most interesting finds where a regal ringneck that we cruised at dusk, and a juvenile Baird's rat snake we found on a cut shortly after dark.
West Texas by Kyle, on Flickr
West Texas by Kyle, on Flickr
Diadophis punctatus regalis (Regal Ringneck Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber flagellum testaceus (Western Coachwhip) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis bairdi (Baird's Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis bairdi (Baird's Rat Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrAnother weekend I met with Armin and Brennan in central Louisiana, and we had a pretty good day. We flipped our first LA calligaster, hiked a gorgeous can, and cruised a buttermilk.
Coluber constrictor anthicus (Buttermilk Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber constrictor anthicus (Buttermilk Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Brennan, Armin, and Kisatchie Diva by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on FlickrThe following week, we started our "actual" spring trip, the one we had been planning since the previous October. How all the other mini-trips got started, I'll never know. This time it was four of us, and we were headed up to north Texas for massassaugas. Armin, Sean, Pat, and I met in the northeastern part of the state to look for pygs on the first day. We turned up a bunch more milks, much to everyone's delight.
Milk Mania by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milk Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrWe ended up spending most of our time herping in this kind of stuff, near the panhandle.
Rocky Prairie by Kyle, on Flickr
Rocky Prairie by Kyle, on FlickrUnder the rocks, we turned up tons of Variable Ground Snakes, and Blind Snakes. We got a couple of Texas Night Snakes, and some Great Plains Rats as well. The saugas we ended up cruising about one every night.
Hypsiglena torquata jani (Texas Night Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sonora semiannulata semiannulata (Variable Ground Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sonora semiannulata semiannulata (Variable Ground Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Leptotyphlops dulcis (Plains Blind Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus (Western Massassauga) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus (Western Massassauga) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus (Western Massassauga) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus (Western Massassauga) by Kyle, on FlickrOn one of the last days, we ended up with such bad weather that the only place to go was north into Oklahoma. We spent the day in the mountains hiking around. I ended up flipping a lined snake under a cow patty (no photos) and we saw a coachwhip and a couple of DOR saugas. The big attraction here was the booming boomers! Man, these lizards are something else! I'd never seen collared lizards before, and I don't think I'll ever see any better looking ones.
Collared Lizard by Kyle, on FlickrThe rest of my spring mostly consisted of a couple hours here and there around Houston. Here's a few highlights from that time.
Coluber constrictor flaviventris (Yellowbellied Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrAnother Texas glossy from the eastern edge of their range showed up for me. This time a nice large adult:
Arizona elegans arenicola (Texas Glossy Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber flagellum flagellum (Eastern Coachwhip) by Kyle, on Flickr
Regina grahamii (Graham's Crayfish Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Farancia abacura reinwardtii (Western Mud Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Regina rigida sinicola (Glossy Crayfish Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber constrictor etheridgei (Tan Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber constrictor etheridgei (Tan Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on FlickrThis pair of Louisiana milks was turned up one afternoon in late spring. They were huge! It was like holding a big south Texas annulata. Measuring the largest, the male, came out to right at 34 inches. I was sure I had the record, as the length listed in Werler and Dixon's texas snakes is, as I recall, 31inches. It turns out there's a more recent record of a DOR that was 35.5inches. Still, this mega-milk was exciting to see.
Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milksnake) by Kyle, on FlickrThe female that was with him:
Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milksnake) by Kyle, on FlickrI don't see Slowinski's corn snakes as much as I'd like. Matter of fact, in the past couple of years I've only seen DORs. This year, I managed to find a large adult that had just been hit. She was still alive, but barely.
Pantherophis slowinskii (Slowinski's Corn Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrI took a couple of day trips to Louisiana in May. It turns out, in a certain area, the calligaster are nearly solid black (yet have light colored bellies). These were some very cool animals to see, and a fun habitat to herp. We turned up these, buttermilks, LA milks, and black rats while in search of LA pine snakes.
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis obsoletus obsoletus (Black Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis obsoletus obsoletus (Black Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber constrictor anthicus (Buttermilk Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on FlickrIn early June, I made the trek to South Texas for Snake Days. Ashley, Blake, Sky and I herped together for the majority of the time. We turned up a lot of good stuff and, overall, had a lot more fun herping out there this year. We made sure to avoid the stuff around Sanderson and to the east. Finding nearly 20 snakes a night in the mountains and down by the river was a lot more fun that the couple days I spent staring at limestome bluffs all night, hoping I'd see a snake.
Cathedral Mountain by Kyle, on Flickr
West Texas Grassland, by Kyle, on Flickr
Craugastor augusti (Barking Frog) by Kyle, on Flickr
Bogertophis subocularis (Trans-Pecos Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis emoryi (Great Plains Ratsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis emoryi (Great Plains Ratsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Salvadora grahamiae grahamiae (Mountain Patchnose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus ornatus (Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus scutulatus (Mojave Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pituophis catenifer affinis (Sonoran Gopher Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Thamnophis marcianus (Checkered Garter Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrMuch to everyone's surprise, we turned up two of these Lyre snakes, one right after the other, one night. It was exciting to see one of my favorite west Texas snakes again.
Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsonii (Chihuahuan Lyre Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsonii (Chihuahuan Lyre Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrAnd, to top off the trip, I finally caught a porcupine! With the help of Sky, we managed to wrangle this guy, and get some photos.
Erethizon dorsatum (Porcupine) by Kyle, on FlickrSummer - 2015
Summer consisted of much less herping, though when I did go out it was focused on searching for horridus in east Texas and Louisiana. I made a couple of trips to Armin's property. It's always fun hiking up horridus in pristine hardwood forest. That said, I saw nearly as many in east Texas this year as I did out there.
Pantherophis guttatus (Corn Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Canebrake by Kyle, on Flickr
Trinity River Bottom by Kyle, on Flickr
Orb Weaver by Kyle, on Flickr
Bullfrogs by Kyle, on Flickr
Agkistrodon piscivorous leucostoma (Western Cottonmouth) by Kyle, on Flickr
Kisatchie Bayou by Kyle, on Flickr
Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer (Diamondbacked Water Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Romalea microptera (Eastern Lubber Grasshopper) by Kyle, on Flickr
Longleaf Pine Upland by Kyle, on Flickr
Regina rigida sinicola (Gulf Crayfish Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on FlickrIn early August, I took a weekend trip to west Texas to visit Sky and look for leps. There was no shortage of them! It was a great weekend, and I got to see some more neat crotes that I don't get to experience much.
Crotalus ornatus (Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus ornatus (Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pituophis catenifer affinis (Sonoran Gopher Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Starry Cut by Kyle, on FlickrBack out east:
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (Eastern Garter Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (Eastern Garter Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on FlickrThis shot, "Cane Break'em" has been something we talked about doing for a long time now. We finally decided to quit joking around and actually do it this year. No snakes were harmed in the making of this pun.
Cane break'em by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber constrictor anthicus (Buttermilk Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Armin and Milk by Kyle, on Flickr
Coluber constrictor etheridgei (Tan Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr
Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle, on Flickr
Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus miliarus streckeri (Western Pygmy Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Sistrurus miliarus streckeri (Western Pygmy Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on FlickrFall - 2015
With the onset of Fall, I really didn't get out much. I was too busy with my first semester of graduate school. I did manage a couple of outings, but mostly I wouldn't get out until this December.
Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle, on Flickr
Opossum by Kyle, on Flickr
Micrurus tener tener (Texas Coral Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Micrurus tener tener (Texas Coral Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on FlickrEarly Winter - 2015
With the unusually warm weather this year, I decided to make some trips down south again. Mostly, to get out and away from chemistry books, but also to visit Blake and start work on spots for next (this) year.
Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Thamnophis marcianus (Checkered Garter Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pantherophis emoryi meahllmorrum (Thornscrub Ratsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Ophisaurus attenuatus (Western Glass Lizard) by Kyle, on Flickr
Ophisaurus attenuatus (Western Glass Lizard) by Kyle, on Flickr
Ophisaurus attenuatus (Western Glass Lizard) by Kyle, on Flickr
Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Masticophis schotti schotti (Schott's Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on FlickrHappy new year and best wishes to everyone this coming herping season. Sweet Spring '16 is just a couple months away!
