The very first edition of House of Herps was hosted last December, right here at the home site. This first year has enjoyed steady participation, with 52 contributors sharing their pictures, experiences and knowledge about this diverse group of animals. It has been a fun and rewarding experience to help bring it all together, and we look forward to another year of HoH!

This 1st Anniversary Edition of HoH is punctuated with a brand new look for the home site, and two new badges:

This badge was made with the help of Ted MacRae’s  photo of a beautiful Timber Rattler (Crotalus horridus). Ted blogs at Beetles in the Bush, and is the creator of An Inordinate Fondness (AIF), a carnival dedicated to Beetles.

This badge is a mini version of the new header, featuring an American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

The makeover of the home site is well and good, but the real gifts for this edition are the submissions from our contributors. Thanks to everyone!

~ ~ ~

Andrea Jaszlics of Worm Salad kicks things off with some interesting facts about the life history a Red Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens), in her post titled “I got better…“. She totally wins the clever award for her references to Monty Python’s Holy Grail.

BEDEMIR: What makes you think she is a witch?
VILLAGER #3: Well, she turned me into a newt.
BEDEMIR: A newt?
VILLAGER #3: I got better.¹

Next up is my buddy Ted C. MacRae of Beetles in the Bush, who brings us eye-to-eye with a Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis), in his post, “Eye of the Turtle.” Ted’s prose wowed the crowd – he’s had a ton of comments and a nice discussion. Head on over to join in!

David A. Steen of Living Alongside Wildlife has been delighting HoH followers this season, with stories and pictures straight from the Florida forest where he works. Of the three posts David submitted, one is a veritable carnival in its own right. “Rattlesnakes: Finding Their Poise and Dignity” is a collection of posts from David’s associates, geared toward educating the public about rattlesnakes, and helping to garner the respect they deserve. David’s second contribution is a post that discusses the basking habit of turtles, and his third relays a story about a Texas Ratsnake, a decorative holiday wreath, and surprised homeowner.

Always entertaining, Lynda Sharpe of Mainly Mongoose has a unique story about her wake-up call to clean her house, called “Hopping into housework.”  Lynda’s post is a fun read, and an introduction to a really cool frog species. (“foam nest?” – who knew?)

After a long and involuntary absence, it is with great happiness that I present the next submission from HoH co-founder, Jason Hogle of xenogere. Jason laments the La Nina winter, but points out the upside, in “Warmer and drier.”

Making her HoH debut is zoologirl from Zoologirl’s Blog in the Southern Fried Scientist Network. Zoologirl shares some exciting news about captive breeding success with several amphibian species. Visit Zoologirl’s Blog to learn more about “New Hope for the La Loma Tree Frog.”

Joan Knapp from Anybody Seen My Focus? shares an observation about an anole that hitched a ride on her windshield…while driving, in “Stowaway.”

Finally, we have my very own story from Birder’s Lounge, of seeing American Alligators (Alligator mississipiensis) in the wild. The airboat ride was a blast, and the gators posed so well that they grabbed the HoH home site header for 2011. Read about them in “Yep, Alligators Live Here.”

~ ~ ~

The next edition of HoH will be hosted by Joy at The Little House in the Not-So-Big Woods. Be sure to send your submissions by January 15th, all the more precious as we head full-on into Winter in North America.