House of Herps

Andrea Jaszlics has put together a fun and exciting “Back to School” edition of House of Herps! Andrea’s clever presentation of this month’s amphibian and reptile blog posts is a fun read in its own right. The featured authors are sure to please with their “class” offerings – so be sure to visit Worm Salad for course descriptions and directions to each classroom!

Herp Humor (free of charge)

Reverse Constellation in Honor of HoH #8 Contributors

Welcome to House of Herps #8, July, 2010!

Our host for this edition had a last minute change to her schedule, so the challenge of presenting this month’s contributions in a new and interesting manner has come my way.  Having very recently spent a week playing with my 9yr-old niece (who visits every summer), my thoughts gradually turned to our visit to the planetarium.

During the planetarium show, I was reminded of how many constellations have been named for animals, and herps – real and imagined – are well represented among them. To wit:

• Chamaeleon, The Chameleon
• Cetus, The Sea Monster
• Draco, The Dragon
• Hydra, The Water Serpent
• Hydrus, The Water Snake
• Lacerta, The Lizard
• Ophiucus, The Serpent Holder
• Serpens, The Serpent

The Dragon stuck in my mind, as I considered how many constellations must have taken a great deal of imagination to be envisioned in the first place. So many of them, when only viewing the connect-the-dots version in the nighttime sky, only really come to life when their full-fleshed images are overlaid. This is the best part of the show at the planetarium, as evidenced by the hushed whispers after each overlaid drawing made sense out of the simulated starry sky.

It didn’t take me long to envision a reverse constellation, viewed from the heavens rather than the Earth, where each “star” represents a herpetological experience from each of our contributors.

And thus, Nogard, the reverse herpetological constellation was born.

Each of our 7 contributors is a star in this far-out edition of House of Herps. I hope you’ll enjoy the show!

* * *

1.  Elizabeth of Yips and Howls was enjoying the cuteness of birds and their young, when she looked up to see a robust Bull Snake wrapped around a tree limb. Join Elizabeth as she relates her initial reaction to the snake and the ecological realities that she soon realized.

2. Ted MacRae of Beetles in the Bush has taken to catching venomous snakes with his bug net. You think I’m kidding? I know you’ll enjoy reading about Ted’s successful tiger beetle field trip, that also “netted” him a young Timber rattler.

3. Bernard of Philly Herping spends a day in the Delaware River, where he swims with the dolphins turtles. Lots of turtles, and a variety of species. If this isn’t enticing enough, add in the fact that Bernard has a new, underwater camera and uses the word, “oodles,” in a sentence!

4. Joan of Anybody Seen My Focus? had the great good fortune to encounter a confused Southern Leopard Frog, who, instead of hopping away from her, hopped right toward her, landing at her feet. The super-cool thing about the frog is that it still had quite a long tail, evidence of its transformation from a tadpole.

5. Amber of Birder’s Lounge (that’s me) encountered a Rough Green Snake, up close and personal, in her own backyard.

6. Joy of The Little House in the Not-So-Big Woods writes about a Green Anole who changes color as she snaps a Million pictures.

7. As a birder living in Panama, Jan Axel (Jan Axel’s Blog) enjoys watching the abundant avian species – but not to the exclusion of all others. On a recent birding trip, Jan and his wife encountered many fantastic and colorful herps. You’ll want to see his collection of photos, including the brilliantly colored Poison Dart Frog!

* * *

The next edition of House of Herps will be hosted by Andrea Jaszlics of  Worm Salad, in August 2010. Please send your submissions for HoH #9 to:

submissions [at] houseofherps [dot] com

by August 15th.

Credits:

Dragon illustration from The Dragon Archives.

Earth image from Google Earth

Hi there everyone,

Our scheduled Host, Arati, had to cancel her hosting gig this month, so we have a slot available for anyone who would like to host House of Herps #8. Submissions are due by July 15th, and we would like to have the carnival up on or before July 18th.

Anyone interesssssssted?

submissions [at] houseofherps [dot] com

hosting [at] houseofherps [dot] com

That Sam-I-Am!
That Sam-I-Am!
I do like that Sam-I-Am.

Find herps galore, that’s what he can.
That’s why I like that Sam-I-Am.

Do you like amphibians?

I do.
I do.
I really like amphibians.
But where are they, Sam-I-Am?
Where are the amphibians?

Over here, said Sam-I-Am.
And over here.
And over there.
You can find them everywhere.
You can find them if you care.

Say! I like all those amphibians.
I do! I like them, Sam-I-Am.
I would like them in the rain.
I would like them on a train.
I would like them here and there.
I would like them anywhere.

But what of snakes, Sam-I-Am?
Are they just like amphibians?
Easy to find and easy to see?
From on the ground or in a tree?

Snakes are here.
Snakes are there.
Silly man for asking where!
To find some snakes, just stop and stare!

You could find snakes in a boat.
You could find snakes with a goat.

And in the dark. And in a tree.
They’re easy to find, don’t you see?

Lizards, too, Sam-I-Am?
Just like the amphibians?
Just like all those snakes you found?
Lizards, too, on tree or ground?

Of course, my friend, lizards, too.
Now watch your step. Watch your shoe.
Easy to see on a tree.
On a fence.
On the ground.
You’ll scare them away if you make a sound.

But easy to find and fun to see.
Lizards are great, don’t we agree?

Oh, I agree, Sam-I-Am.
You really are the herping man.
Now one last quest I ask of you.
Can you find a gator too?

Neither hide nor hair did I see.
When looking for one for you and me.
Walked in the water.
Walked through the trees.
But finding a gator depends on who sees.

Too bad about that, Sam-I-Am.
But I really liked the amphibians.
And I liked the snakes.
And lizards, too.
Herping is better when I’m with you.

— — — — — — — — — —

The next edition of House of Herps will be hosted by Arati at Trees, Plants and More.  Send your submissions to submissions [at] houseofherps [dot] com no later than July 15 if you want to participate.

After an extended and record-breaking winter, spring quickly gave way to an early summer in the Lone Star State.  We’ve already hit the century mark on the ol’ thermometer, and heat and humidity have driven sensible people into the comfort of air conditioning.  But now is the time to get out and about if you want to see herps.  You see, here in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex we’re experiencing a snake and alligator explosion.  Yes, I said alligators.

The weather over the past year has given rise to perfect conditions for snakes, but the changing climate in this part of the world has also made DFW a perfect place for alligators.

Since last summer more than eight alligators have been captured and relocated due to their nearness to schools and residential areas.  And it’s suspected that this, the largest extant alligator species, now inhabits nearly all waterways in and around the metroplex, including the lakes where people swim.  Which, as you can suspect, has made this territorial expansion fascinating for some and worrisome for others.  But seeing these crocodilians in places like Plano, Arlington, Dallas, Ft. Worth and Kaufman has made for many a smile amongst those of us who can’t get enough of these large critters.

In addition to the growing alligator presence, the number of animals (mainly pets) bitten by snakes has more than doubled in the last three months.  The weather has been perfect for our scaled, legless friends.  That means they’re out in force, roaming about in yards and parks—and even on roads and driveways.  Our many venomous species are making a grand appearance, but so are the large number of nonvenomous species.  The slithering around North Texas is nearly audible.

Why does all this matter?

The deadline for submitting to House of Herps #7 is fast approaching.  June 15 will be here before you know it, and that’s the last day for getting your entry into the next celebration of all things herpetological.  Given the sudden overflow of herps right here in the middle of the big city and the rapid approach of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, finding reptiles and amphibians should increasingly present no problems for anyone who goes outside.

So get out there and find some herps.  Then blog about your experience.  And then remember to send your submission to submissions [at] houseofherps [dot] com no later than June 15.  The carnival will then be posted around June 18.

Oh, one more thing.  Though we have hosts lined up for most of the year, we’re still looking for someone to host this edition and the October edition of the carnival dedicated to these ectothermic tetrapods.  If you’re interested in hosting, send an e-mail to submissions [at] houseofherps [dot] com and let us know.  Please remember to include a link to your blog.

Now, get off the internet and go outside!

Bernard “Billy” Brown is our host for the May edition of House of Herps. Billy firmly believes that May is the best month for herping and he may be right. He’s got an exciting lineup of posts featuring lizards, frogs, snakes, turtles and more. Slither, hop, or swim on over to Philly Herping to enjoy this month’s enthusiastic presentation!

Hello there herp-fans!

As Spring starts to bear promises of summer, most of us have encountered our first herps of 2010. This is a great time to share your  herping adventures, and the next House of Herps blog carnival is almost here. HoH#6 will be hosted by Bernard “Billy” Brown at Philly Herping. Submissions are due by midnight tonight, but something tells me that a late submission would be able to slither into the carnival which goes up around the 18th.

I would also like to draw your attention to the new Contributors page here at the home site, where I have listed and linked to every blog that has participated in HoH so far, indicated the host blog with an “H,” and linked to the HoH Carnival post itself.

Finally, I thought it might be fun to challenge our bloggers to help us get to enough submissions for every spot on this frog. Or at least most of them…

Please send your submissions to:

• billysbrown[at]gmail[dot]com  OR
• submissions@houseofherps.com

Thanks!

Perpetually entertaining and enlightening, The Geek in Question (TGIQ) from Fall To Climb took on a serious challenge this month, and she did it intentionally. She volunteered to host two blog carnivals: House of Herps and An Inordinate Fondness. Talk about being a glutton for punishment…

One thing I’ve learned about TGIQ in the time I’ve been following her blog is that she is both tenacious and intelligent, so challenges don’t go unmet. And thus she has proven me right with not only pulling off two blog carnivals at once, but she’s done it with her usual flair and humor coupled with an appreciable amount of wit and charm.

With House of Herps #5: Slime Poetry, TGIQ introduces us to slam poetry as seen through the lens of herpetofauna. It’s a devilishly clever presentation invested with serious intent. When she said she would host the carnival, what she meant was that she would host it well.

So head on over to House of Herps #5: Slime Poetry for a poetic and engaging edition of the blog carnival that celebrates all things amphibian and reptilian. For the best effect, you should really follow her advice: “I suggest you stand to recite the verses, and be sure to speak loudly.”

And don’t forget to thank The Geek in Question for providing such a slammin’ edition of House of Herps!

Quick update

We now have a host for HoH#5 – TGIQ of Fall to Climb has swooped in to save the day! TGIQ is also hosting AIF on the 18th, so we’ll give her an extra day or two to post HoH. I have no doubt that TGIQ is up to the task, and I can vouch for how supremely generous it is to host two carnivals simultaneously. And TGIQ is doing this on purpose! (my recent double-hosting gig was an accident…and I had help).

You can now send your submissions to:

• TGIQ at hotmail dot com
• submissions [at] houseofherps [dot] com

Please send your submissions by April 15…after you file your tax return, of course!

If you would like to host an edition of HoH, just let us know!

• hosting [at] houseofherps [dot] com

Spring is heating up and so are those cold-blooded friends of ours! Our hosting schedule is wide open through the best part of herp “season” (for most in North America). If the herps can venture out this month – so can you!

If you would like to host HoH in April or any other month, please let us know by sending us an email at hosting [at] houseofherps [dot] com.

Send your submissions to submissions [at] houseofherps [dot] com.

Thanks!