Field Herpin'
The only thing that compares to keeping snakes is seeing them and other animals in their natural habitat. I enjoy getting out locally and seeing and trying to photograph snakes and other animals. I'll post pics from time to time from here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And you can click on the pics to make 'em bigger.
May 13, 2008
Another nice copperhead found on a rainy day in some tall grass in Arlington. I was just about to go home so I took a short cut through some tall grass. I came very close to stepping on this little guy! It must have just eaten since it had a huge lump in its belly. These are one of my favorite venomous snakes.
May 11, 2008
A good sized western diamondback rattlesnake ready for a shed. This one was found in a rodent nest under some shingles dumped off of a little back road on a large hillside in Cedar Hill. Coincidentally, this one was found exactly one year after the one shown below. It was found about a mile away from last year's rattler.
May 11, 2008
A juvenile Great Plains ratsnake found in Cedar Hill under a piece of tin near a yellowbellied racer and some striped bark scorpions. While Texas ratsnakes prefer wooded areas, these guys like open grasslands. These are closely related to cornsnakes and were once considered the same snake. Great Plains ratsnakes are also known as Emory's ratsnakes.
April 6, 2008
A nice looking copperhead I found under a big piece of plywood in Cedar Hill. This particular piece of wood has produced a snake all but one time out of the at least dozen times I've looked under it. It's produced lot of Great Plains ratsnakes and yellowbellied racers, sometimes more than one at a time. It's also produced a western diamondback rattler. This copperhead appears to be a cross between a broadbanded and a southern copperhead.
April 5, 2008
A big Texas rat snake with an attitude! This one was getting some sun on a fence. I didn't see it, and went through an opening in the fence. I must of spooked it because it fell to the ground right in front of me. I think we both were startled. There's nothing better about snake hunting than when they fall out of the air!
May 11, 2007
I found this western diamondback rattler under a slab of concrete in a hugh field in Cedar Hill. It was between 4 and 5 feet long, and not happy to see me! I was surprised to see it. This is the first rattler I've found in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. I normally only see yellowbellied racers and Great Plains ratsnakes in this field.