We got there in the late morning and headed right to "the tree", but nobody was present. So we moved on and started to see lots of hopping in the grass. The place was filled with fast Pickerels. Andrea spied this chubby one that sat long enough for a photo.
Most were too fast for us but we got a shot of this interesting one.
It has the usual rows of blotches but has a couple of spots in between the rows. Not a common thing with palustris.
We followed up a plethora of Pickerels with the first Eft we'd seen in a while. Eft and Slug are Friends.
In addition to the Pickerels, tiny Peepers were also hopping about.
Andrea scored our only snake of the day when she flipped this feisty Ringneck. Getting any kind of photo was an ordeal.
Painted Turtles were doing their thing, which is sitting on a log.
Another teeny Peeper.
Painters rule. I know that. You know that. They know that.
Andrea spied this little green noggin poking up and I got the pic but there's not really enough diagnostics for me to choose between Green or Bull. Is that a dorsolateral ridge? Is that a pointier snout? I lean towards Green, but...whatever...
A small, probably American Toad hopped across the path.
I could see this beaver in the distance gnawing on stuff but I'll be damned if I could get a decent shot.
I flipped a stone and an American Toad slunk back into a hole, trying to avoid my camera. I don't win many, but I won this battle of wills.
One last look around before leaving once again gave us a slew of amphibians behaving like grasshoppers. Andrea got the last possible shot of another Pickerel.
And that's that. We drove an hour there, herped for a couple of hours, then drove an hour back. And to the best of my knowledge, neither of us contracted Eastern equine encephalitis that day.
i love the pictures ......all of them but i worry about yous getting sick, did you both use a ton of deet?
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