Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Newt]

Thanks Doug! Yes, that ratsnake (a five-footer) was basking on the highway in extreme southern Indiana. I swerved to avoid it, pulled over, and walked back, by which time several other cars passed by; I was sure it must be dead, but no, it was just laying there, head up in an alert pose that turned out to be a lie. More traffic was coming, so I gently grasped the snake by the neck and slid it off onto the grassy shoulder. It took up the pose you see here for a few seconds, then casually slithered into a nearby field. At no point did it try to bite or musk me, or even seem to know what the heck was going on.

Having caught lots and lots of ratsnakes over the years, I can say with some authority that they are highly variable in temperament. Some are as pugnacious as a racer or watersnake, while others are as mellow as a pet ball python. Using the technique you mention helps, but isn't foolproof, especially if the snake is already trying to flee.

[Doug Watson]

Back kayaking at Murphy's Point Provincial Park yesterday and the Dragonfly & Damselfly emergence continues. I have never seen it like this and I suspect our late spring delayed the event. I don't know them like I know my snakes but I have attempted to identify them and these are just the species I was able to shoot. There were many more.

Frosted Whiteface


Chalk Fronted Corporal


Eastern Pondhawk


Dot-tailed Whiteface - female


Four-spotted Chaser


Shadow Darner -male. I scooped this one out of the lake and he hung on to my life-jacket until he was dry.


Ebony Jewelwing - male


Dragonhunter emerging from it's naiad. These guys mainly feed on other dragonflies and damselflies.


Dragonhunter fully emerged with naiad.


Someone else with a taste for dragonflies. Bullfrog


Adult Map Turtle


Baby Map Turtle on a lily pad.


Fairly large and recently fed Northern Water Snake. I used to see 6 a day but last year and this year I am seeing one or two at the most. This one was well hidden in a tree overhanging the lake. It's latest meal can be seen as the bulge in it's stomach.


Another Northern Water Snake well hidden in an overhang. This one had a more distinct pattern with a beautiful rust colouring.


Least Flycatcher


The Loon nest now has two eggs but the Park staff still have not put up signs. I had to chase two conoeists off of the island. I have e-mailed the park super so hopefully they will post some warnings.

[Newt]

Wonderful shots, Doug!

[Lanthanotus]

Nice shots, Doug, seems there's plenty of herp life goin' on where you live?

...

We had a very warm winter here, but while a lot of plants began a very early flowering, the animals for the most part kept with their usual pace. Nevertheless, some of the following photos are a few weeks old, like the

lonely frog (Pelophylax esculentus) in a small pond....



in midst of several hundred thousand tadpoles (Bufo bufo mainly, but also Rana temporaria)...



Underwater view. I never have a SLR with me, just a small Panasonic, luckily full waterproof but with horrid optical characteristics...



... the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) male was shot with my smartphone camera which is even worse...



... but nevertheless the pair made for a nice motif.



One of the first three hatchlings this year (Varanus beccarii), climbing up my son.

[Everything_Dinosaur]

Great photos, thank for sharing them with us.

[Doug Watson]

Nice shots, Doug, seems there's plenty of herp life goin' on where you live?
... the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) male was shot with my smartphone camera which is even worse...

Okay I have lizard envy, I didn't even know Germany had lizards and that is a beautiful species! Where I am we have plenty of snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders and newts but not a single species of lizard. The only lizard in my province is at the southern most tip near the US border. In all of Canada we only have 6 species of lizards and they all exist around the border with the US. It is a little confounding since Ottawa where I am is actually farther South than at least four states that all have lizards, heck I am even further south than Germany. Every time I go south to the US I lust after all the skinks and anoles that I see rushing about. I would have loved to have grown up with them.
Thank you for sharing.

[Gwangi]

I have lizard envy too, NY only has 4 species of lizard and only one that occurs locally to me, the coal skink. I still haven't been able to track any down but I'm getting closer. I at least know where to find them at the county level, and what habitats to look in.

[Newt]

Good luck, Gwangi! I've been searching for coal skinks for years to no avail. Little browns, five-lines, broadheads, even southeastern five-lines are pretty easy to find, but those darn coal skinks are elusive! Also, apparently, semi-aquatic.

Lanthanotus - thanks for sharing! Very nice to see some Old World wildlife.

[Lanthanotus]

Oh sorry, wasn't my intention to spark any envy ... Germany also just calls six native lizard species, Lacerta agilis, Zootoca vivipara (which looks very much like a female sand lizard, but also has melanistic individuals), Lacerta viridis and bilineata (which were one species before, both bright green, males with a blue throat), and Podarcis muralis, a species that profits from the climate change and is more common each year, even in urban centres. This one is also a cosmoplitan now and distributed in parts of the US for example. Last but not least we have the slow worm (Anguis fragilis). Will deliver some more photos later

Germany has five snake species (of which three are extremely rare and endangered) and one turtle (which is almost extinct and last populations and resettlement projects are endangered by north American turtles set free by "pet lovers").

[paleoferroequine]

Maybe you good folks can identify this moth pupae. I'm no good at this but I think it might one of the Ceratocampinae, regal moth? Or maybe something totally different, like a Sphinx moth? My nephew found it on his workbench, under cover, outdoors. Not in the ground. It's about 1.5 inches (3.8cm)

[Newt]

I don't know much about IDing pupae, but it does look a lot like images I found of Citheronia pupae; however, Citheronia pupae tend to be bigger (2" or so) and all the other ceratocampine genera have a long cremaster (tail spine). So I would tentatively rule out Ceratocampinae, but I don't know what else to tell you, except that you might have better luck posting it on bugguide.net or even on the Animal Toy Forum, which has a couple of resident entomologists.

[Lanthanotus]

Sorry, can't add any helpfull info on the pupae.

But I'll offer some more insights to German herpetofauna, enjoy...

male Anguis fragilis, the slow worm (according to leo.org), a legless lizard;




another male Lacerta agilis, unfortunetly the males already go into "hibernation" in late summer for having their job done;


a pair (male to the right) of Podarcis muralis, french line, this specific (as most in Germany) is introduced. Those are amazing lizards that have several clutches each season and are alos awake and active during winter season if the weather is fine, hence they distribute fast and wide in recent years.


Another pair (male to the left, photos were shot in early march);


a young Podarcis muralis, hatched lately in autumn of the former year.


And here's some amphibians...

lonely male Bufo bufo, it missed its chance on this year's mass wedding;


male Ichtyosaura alpestris (doesn't this sound like a proper prehistoric marine reptile name?), our most colorfull newt with bright orange underbelly, black and white flanks and crest and a dark and light blue base color.



Its female is more drab and green marbled, but also with an orange underbelly.


Male Lissotriton vulgaris with its very high creast during mating season.

[Gwangi]

Those male alpine newts are breathtaking. I'm always awe struck when I see them, you're lucky to have access to them in your country.

[Gwangi]

Oh sorry, wasn't my intention to spark any envy ... Germany also just calls six native lizard species, Lacerta agilis, Zootoca vivipara (which looks very much like a female sand lizard, but also has melanistic individuals), Lacerta viridis and bilineata (which were one species before, both bright green, males with a blue throat), and Podarcis muralis, a species that profits from the climate change and is more common each year, even in urban centres. This one is also a cosmoplitan now and distributed in parts of the US for example. Last but not least we have the slow worm (Anguis fragilis). Will deliver some more photos later

Germany has five snake species (of which three are extremely rare and endangered) and one turtle (which is almost extinct and last populations and resettlement projects are endangered by north American turtles set free by "pet lovers").

Oh wow, I guess what New York lacks in lizards it makes up for it with other reptiles. We have a nice assortment of snakes and turtles. 17 snake species and 15 turtles that I can think of.

[btb300]

male Ichtyosaura alpestris (doesn't this sound like a proper prehistoric marine reptile name?), our most colorfull newt with bright orange underbelly, black and white flanks and crest and a dark and light blue base color.

These newts are magnificent. I wasn't even aware of the changed latin names, I still thought they were in the common genus Triturus. I remember that maybe two years ago I was doing some work at a wastewater treatment plant. Due to the wet weather the area was pretty much flooded and dozens of newts were carried by the stream to the plant, I could see them floating and swimming around in the activated sludge basin. Many were dead but I managed to save some still alive. They must have been a some species of crested newt, males in mating dress, so the orange bellies were easy to spot

[Paleona]

Wow, beautiful shots, everyone!!  All I've been doing is exploring my backyard lately, haha. Anyone into spiders?  My husband loves them, and his fondness for them has rubbed off on me. Lately, we've taken an interest in jumping spiders~ (we also have a Mexican Red Knee Tarantula, but she's not exactly wild, so she doesn't really fit in this thread, lol.)

Here's a big tan jumper (Platycryptus undatus) I found the other day (not actual size here, haha) :

We also have two wild-caught bold jumping spiders (Phidippus audax) that we keep as pets. They are really active and fun spiders to watch- their vision is so good, they can even be seen looking up at you. It's really adorable. Occasionally we take them out to "play", aka, let them exercise their jumping abilities. When they're relaxed, they will climb onto you, and jump from hand to hand. Here's one of them feeding on a small cricket dinner:

[Doug Watson]

Wow, beautiful shots, everyone!!  All I've been doing is exploring my backyard lately, haha. Anyone into spiders?  My husband loves them, and his fondness for them has rubbed off on me. Lately, we've taken an interest in jumping spiders~ (we also have a Mexican Red Knee Tarantula, but she's not exactly wild, so she doesn't really fit in this thread, lol.)

I have always been fascinated by spiders as well. Jumping spiders are cool and I always amazed at how bold they are. Even the little Zebra Jumpers we have will often stand their ground or even approach you instead of running away. Kind of like the spider equivalent of a Terrier. I don't think they know how small they are. We only have a few species where I am but I am always intrigued when one catches my eye.

[Takama]

Been to my Grocery Store and out in the parking lot there were these little guys hopping around.   I caught one and took it to a safer location so i can photograph it with my phone.

[Doug Watson]

Been to my Grocery Store and out in the parking lot there were these little guys hopping around.   I caught one and took it to a safer location so i can photograph it with my phone.

Was there an IHOP nearby? 

[Takama]

Been to my Grocery Store and out in the parking lot there were these little guys hopping around.   I caught one and took it to a safer location so i can photograph it with my phone.

Was there an IHOP nearby? 

No our town is too small for a IHOP.   There is a gas station and a Walgreens nearby and a Bar up the street.