Field Notes Update

Sheltered Gray Treefrog /  by Todd Henson

Sheltered: A large gray treefrog resting on the rail

My neighborhood isn’t the sort of place I expect to find wildlife, and yet I do continue to find it in small numbers and especially in small forms. One that I’ve seen and photographed a few times now are small gray treefrogs, which seem to like my steps and railing.

Let Me Sleep!

I found this particular frog in the early afternoon one Sunday as I was heading out the door. Out of the corner of my eye I happened to see a shape I wasn’t used to seeing on the end of the railing at the base of my front steps and did a double take when I noticed this good sized gray tree frog sheltered in curve of the metal raining, sleeping off the day and waiting for night to head back out and about. The way the sun sets it picked a perfect position to shelter its eyes from much of the light. I had to bring up the shadows a fair bit in post-production to let you see its eyes.

Gray treefrog closeup

As you can see, its eyes were open, so it was aware I was there, but it didn’t see me as a threat and just remained resting as I slowly moved closer creating photos. The last photo gives a decent view of one of this frog’s eyes. Look at the interesting patterns there, and the little bits of color, like the orange in the eye and the green just below it. I never get tired of viewing these amazing little creatures.

For more, check out the two previous posts where I had encounters with gray treefrogs at the front of my house:

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Careful Where You Step - Eastern Copperhead /  by Todd Henson

I almost walked into this beautiful Eastern Copperhead

I’ve often encouraged you to keep your eyes open and learn to become more aware of what’s around you. Usually this is to allow you to better observe and appreciate the wonders of the natural world, but sometimes it’s also for your own safety. This past weekend while hiking with my father I almost walked right into an Eastern Copperhead, one of only three venomous snakes in Virginia and one of only two in this area (along with the Timber Rattlesnake), though thankfully it is the least venomous of them all. The third, if you’re curious, is the Northern Cottonmouth, also known as a water moccasin. I’m not sure I can describe the feeling I had when I looked down and saw the snake just below me, especially since this was, I believe, my first time seeing a copperhead in the wild. 😁

Thankfully, the Eastern Copperhead is not a naturally aggressive snake and will typically only lash out as a last resort at self defense. However, their natural defense is to remain perfectly motionless, which is how we can unknowingly disturb them if we do as I almost did and walk right into one. If touched they can because aggressive, and apparently if they’ve been sitting in the sun for a good long time and are nice and warm they can become aggressive more quickly than usual. I’ve read their bite is painful but generally not fatal. Still, it’s best to avoid the bite.

This particular Eastern Copperhead was just minding its own business, resting on the mud along the edge of the creek, perhaps coiled up watching for any small animals that might wander by and become prey. From what I’ve read this coil pattern is very common, with the tail raised in the air, and the head elevated at a slight angle. It was hard to say for certain, but it appeared to be about the average length of an adult, which is two to three feet. And it had a darker tail tip, unlike juveniles which have a yellow tail tip.

The best side view I managed to capture of this Eastern Copperhead

When threatened or nervous Eastern Copperhead will vibrate their tail, though they aren’t rattlesnakes so you won’t hear that typical rattle sound unless they vibrate their tail in dry leaves which apparently can cause a sound very similar to that of a rattler. Interestingly, they will also sometimes vibrate their tail to attract prey, which leaves me (jokingly) wondering if I happen by a copperhead and it’s vibrating its tail is it trying to warm me off or is it trying to attract me as prey?!? 😁 This particular copperhead remained perfectly motionless the entire time we were there, which wasn’t all that long, just long enough to get a good look at it and create several photographs.

We found the snake along a creek in a wooded area with plenty of exposed rock surfaces, perfect habitat for them. But you can find them all over Virginia in many different habitats. Unfortunately, that can bring them right to your home. I have friends who’ve had problems with copperhead in their garage, around their deck, or in their shed. As I’d mentioned they’re not a naturally aggressive snake, but because they remain motionless when nervous it can be easy to run right into one without knowing it’s there. And that can be a problem for young children or pets, so folks who live in those areas take special care to watch for them.

A cropped in view to show you the entirety of the coiled Eastern Copperhead. Notice the tail raised almost straight up and the head raised at a slight angle.

As is often the case these days the only lens I had with me was my 105 mm macro lens. In this situation I wish I’d had a longer focal length so I could perhaps have gotten some better closeups, but I was also very glad I had my 105 mm instead of a wider angle lens. I moved as close as I felt I could without disturbing the snake. I wish I could have maneuvered more to the side to get a better profile view, and I wish I could have gotten down on the ground to get an eye-level view. But there wasn’t a lot of room to move around, I didn’t want to disturb the snake, and this being the first I’ve seen in the wild I’m not comfortable enough with my knowledge of their behavior to risk moving too close and seriously aggravate it. But I’m very happy I was able to capture the images I did, and I hope to safely create more in the future.

A heavily cropped view to give you a better view of the back of the head, some of the patterns, and the tail. Notice that very angled shape to the head, which can be used to identify the venomous snakes in this area.

A heavily cropped view to show you the very distinctive vertical pupil in the eye, another feature of venomous snakes.

For the two photographs with the wider views I cropped in just a little, they’re almost full frame. But I did create some other versions far more heavily cropped to let you better see some detail in this remarkable snake. In the closeup of the head notice the angled shape of the head and the vertical pupil in the eye, distinctive of vipers. They’re called pit vipers because they have heat sensing pits located between eye and nostril and used to help locate prey. Unfortunately, these photos don’t provide a good view of the pit. But I’m hopeful they do contain enough detail to give you a decent (and safe) view of this Eastern Copperhead with the beautiful patterns along its length and that coppery colored head that gives the viper its name. It really is a remarkable creature.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Lots of Lovely Lady’s Slippers /  by Todd Henson

A pink lady’s slipper, also sometimes called a moccasin flower

One of the joys of photographing nature is stumbling upon species in the wild for perhaps the first time. And when it comes to flowers that can be all the more special as some are only there for a very short period of time once a year. This year I was fortunate to be hiking with my father who has a keen eye and noticed several pink lady’s slippers right beside the trail hiding along the forest floor. And as is often the case, once we’d noticed one we began finding more. They were very difficult to photograph as most were in challenging locations and often mixed in with other more distracting plants or forest floor debris. But I had such a great time attempting to create some nice photographs with what nature presented us.

Lady’s slipper quartet

Lone lady’s slipper

There are several variety of lady’s slippers, also sometimes called moccasin flowers, one of the more common being pink lady’s slippers. All of the photos in this post are of pink lady’s slippers. They are a fairly large flower compared to most wildflowers in the area. And as you may tell from the look of them, they are of the orchid family. From what I’ve read it appears they flower between May and July, and all of these were found within the first two weeks of May (2021).

Pink lady’s slipper profile

Profile of a pink lady’s slipper

Fascinatingly, it can take years for a plant to mature from a seed. And, I suppose, that being the case it shouldn’t be too surprising that plants can live for over twenty years, though I am impressed by that. Being orchids, they are rather needy plants, requiring a particular soil fungus to grow. The lady’s slipper and the fungus have a symbiotic relationship, each benefiting from the other. They requires bees for pollination and, again, being an orchid, they have a rather complex method of attracting and being pollinated by the bees, which must enter the flower from one direction and exit from another where they will deposit any pollen they’re already carrying from other plants and pick up any from this one. Apparently they can sometimes perish inside the flower if they’re unable to find their way to the exit, though I hope this is uncommon.

Lady’s slipper sextet (in the shade)

Lady’s slipper sextet (in the sun)

Each individual flower doesn’t last all that long, though I don’t know for certain their typical life span. Flowers that were fully in bloom one weekend were either withered and brown or already fallen to the forest floor by the following weekend. But there were also new flowers found. Perhaps we’ll be fortune and find more of these now that we know what to look for. Or perhaps we won’t and this will have been the blooming period of this area. Only time will tell, but I look forward to finding out.

The latter days of the lady’s slippers

Aging gracefully

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief glimpse at this lovely wild orchid, the pink lady’s slipper. Click on any of the images for a larger view.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!