Juvenile Black Racer (Coluber constrictor). We're used to seeing these snakes on the ground, but this one was about four feet above the ground, resting on a dried lespedeza stem.
Yellownecked caterpillars (Datana ministra) in a defensive posture. The red one on the right is younger than the black ones. If you look at the black one you will notice it was caught in a "private" moment. That blackish blob on its posterior end is a fresh frass (i.e. poop)
Pine woods treefrog (Hyla femoralis).
9 comments:
I like to say "fresh frass" it has such sass!
Frass? That's new. Can I use that in my medical/nursing notes?
We saw Black Racers this weekend too. I don't think I'd have known what the juvenile was! They look so different from the adults.
Are those caterpie poison to touch?
Bloggy, frass is sassy and fresh frass is the sassiest.
Keith, I think frass would spruce up your notes. Much better than "stool" or "feces" don't you think :)
Rurality, baby racers are cute. They are also very aggressive little critters. Guess that figure the best defense is a good offense. Of course, it doesn't hurt if they bite you -- their teeth are too small.
SQMojo, as far as I know those caterpie are safe to touch.
I had a "frass" experience that I will never forget. I was in a hardwood forest just outside of Savannah, Ga walking and taking pictures when it began to rain. Just a light, but steady sprinkle. Only, it wasn't rain, it was frass from the canopy. It was everywhere and sounded just like rain as it struck the forest duff.
The caterpillars were too high in the canopy for me to see, but there must have been a blue million of them.
FC, we had a season like that one year. The woods were full of variable oakleaf caterpillars and the frass-fall was just as you described, a light, but steady sprinkle. Pretty amazing as long as you didn't think too much about what was falling on your head :)
LOL--
Yesterday, I saved the caterpie to my PC's background (especially loved the colors); this morning, when I sat down to check messages & saw the image, I almost puked!
Weird.
Heh - I told Glenn to touch our yellownecks and he did, and reports they're safe.
Did your baby black racer strike at you? They are very fearsome! And fearless!
Two out of three ain't bad - I have yet to see your tree frog though.
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