Timber rattlesnake #6 was resting on an angled shelf just below knee height.
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

A twofer: Timber Rattlesnakes #9 and 10 checking me out as I check them out.
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

The spider and the fly.
Oh, there's also a snake hiding in the picture.
Timber Rattlesnake #7
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

I heard a rattle that sounded like it was coming from right at my feet. Looked down, nothing there. Looked to the left, nothing. Looked farther and saw this guy 20 feet away. The bluff wall funneled the sound, making it seem closer than it was.
Timber #5
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Timber Rattlesnake portrait from southern IL last weekend.
This was #3.
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Check the cracks with a flashlight: just a glimpse but it was the first Timber of the day and a big one!
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Rough Greensnake from southern IL, different from the Smooth Greensnake we have in northern IL. Note the longitudinal ridge or "keel" on each scale on this one; the Smooths don't have that. Both are primarily insectivorous, but this one is more arboreal.
#roughgreensnake #fieldherping #insituherping

Herping with binoculars in southern IL.
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

That southern IL road known for snakes has other things too: here's a Green Treefrog
#greentreefrog #fieldherping #insituherps

This was an interesting find along a well known road in southern IL; it was the first one I’ve ever seen in our state. Cell phone shot in the rain.
(Some of my friends will appreciate this small drab frog a lot more than others.) 🙂
#easternnarrowmouthedtoad #fieldherping

Still cell phone shot, but some herp trips just check all the boxes.
#mudsnake #fieldherping

Today’s unusual observation. IYKYN. More details when I get home.
#cottonmouths #fieldherping #insituherps

Cordillera central tree frog (Hyloscirtus larinopygion), endemic high altitude frog from Colombia and northern Ecuador. Many call them chocolate frog. Chunky little frog.

(From July 2026)

#naturephotography #fieldherping #herping