Hi fellow nature people. I'm coming at ya a bit earlier than usual today. I'm trying to avoid missing days like I had recently, so since I have a few free minutes right now: here I am! Spring had begun a few days ago here in central Pennsylvania and things are slowly starting to warm up. It's got me itching to get out and do some hiking and spend some time in nature. With that sort of feeling in mind, I'll be sharing a few photos from another springtime hike. I think these are from around 3 years ago and were taken at one of my favorite places to trek around, Red Rock Mountain. Plenty of flora and fauna every time I go.
^^^Here's a green frog hanging out on a lilly pad. Pretty much the quintessential frog thing to do, no??
^^^Some of the lilly pads were just beginning to bloom, which is always nice to see. I think that must mean this trip was taken around late May or early June.
^^^This is a red-bellied brown snake. They're a small little species that eats slugs and salamanders. This place is the only location where I have ever encountered them.
^^^Here's a northern water snake swimming close to the shore. These guys can grow up to, and occasionally over, 4 feet long. Their diet usually consists of aquatic animals like frogs and fish, but will also eat small rodents or birds if there is an opportunity to do so. They're also somewhat aggressive by nature, but harmless and they don't possess any venom or anything.
^^^Another green frog, just a big closer up. They're nearly fully aquatic, only rarely spending time on land other than the banks of a pond or lake. They can reach just about 4 inches in length as adults.
^^^This is a blue damselfly. These things are all over the place in the spring and their brilliant coloration is striking. Blue is a color you don't see incredibly often in nature (aside from the sky), so I always enjoy when I do.
^^^Here is a newt known as a red eft. These guys are probably my favorite lizard native to Pennsylvania. During their terrestrial life phase (seen here), they are orange in color with bright reddish spots. They tend to walk the forest floor after a rain storm, in search for a puddle, pond, or other body of water. There, they enter their second life phase and become fully aquatic. They look completely different at that point and they breed in the water as well. During the land-phase, they are really adorable though. Their tiny eyes and toes are very visible and very cute. They also are not slimy or anything like a lot of salamanders.
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*** These daily blogs showcase the natural world. It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels. ***