House of Herps

Author Archive

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!

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!

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can involve drinking green beer, pinching those who forget to wear green, and enjoying Irish festivals and traditions. Personally, I have a hard time choosing which is the better bit of fun: the beer or the pinching.

But John at Kind of Curious came up with another spot of green with which to enjoy the day: herps. Clever man!

House of Herps #4 – St. Patrick’s Edition offers a delightful array of amphibian and reptilian color—not just green. As if that wasn’t enough, John wraps the carnival in the St. Patrick’s theme with a spot of history and mythology regarding the man behind the holiday.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a pint of green ale, pinch anyone nearby who isn’t wearing green, then head on over to House of Herps #4 – St. Patrick’s Edition to finish off your celebration.

The next ectothermic extravaganza, House of Herps #3, is fast approaching. Though it may still be winter for those of us north of the equator, this is no time to hibernate. There are frogs to be kissed and snakes to be charmed even in the coldest of months.

I’ll be hosting this edition at my blog, xenogere. You can submit your entries in three ways: send an e-mail to submissions [AT] houseofherps [DOT] com, send an e-mail to jason [AT] xenogere [DOT] com, or use the neat little contact form on my site. Your message will land in my lap no matter which method you choose.

The deadline for this edition is February 15. The carnival will be posted on February 18.

Remember, House of Herps is a celebration of amphibians and reptiles, from conservation to science and research to education to discovery. If you’ve blogged about herps in that context, we want to hear from you. So get hoppin’ and get your submissions in no later than February 15.

Also, we’re looking for volunteers to host the carnival in the coming months. If you’re interested, please send an e-mail to submissions [AT] houseofherps [DOT] com and let us know! Please include a link to your blog and which month you’d like to host. (The hosting schedule is visible in the sidebar to the right.)

While researching a large black predatory fly in 2009, I stumbled upon a blog called Beetles in the Bush. With such a blog name, who was this expert capable of telling me about killer flies? Beetles were his game from what I could tell.

Yet I was to be subsequently wowed and awed by a man who specialized in entomology but who also demonstrated a profound expertise with nature as a whole, someone passionate about learning and passionate about sharing what he knew.

And he’s passionate about the nature blogging community, too.

Ted MacRae first dipped into carnival hosting with an auspicious rendition of Berry Go Round. Plants? From a beetle guy? Yep. And it was a great edition indeed.

Now he’s venturing further from his beloved beetles with an exceptional presentation of House of Herps. This is one really smart festival that shouldn’t be missed. Please head on over to House of Herps #2 for a veritable feast of eye candy and information. And don’t forget to tip the waiter.

The deadline for submitting to the second edition of House of Herps is fast approaching. You should have your entries to Ted MacRae of Beetles in the Bush no later than January 15 if you want to be included. He’ll kick off the festivities a few days later.

Please either send your entries to submissions [AT] houseofherps [DOT] com or send them directly to Ted using his handy-dandy contact form.

I have friends who want to participate. Here’s one of them, a male green anole (Anolis carolinensis) who’s been grabbing as much sun as he can before bitter temperatures set in later this week.

He’s hoping you have some friends who also want to join in. Send along your entries before the 15th, and we’ll plan to see you at Ted’s place for the next cold-blooded convention!

Reptiles and amphibians. Collectively and separately they represent life much older than us, each group having taken its turn ruling the planet long before mammals were a twinkle in the cosmos’ eye. First came amphibians, giants by modern standards, larger than the largest dogs and enjoying mastery of the land as top predators. Then reptiles displaced them as kings of Earth, behemoths we would eventually call dinosaurs who often represent a child’s first true interest in science.

But all things change, and mammals slowly climbed the evolutionary ladder until they brushed aside reptiles and amphibians to become the dominant form of life. From little critters scampering about and trying to avoid being stepped on or eaten by our very large reptilian forefathers, over time mammals gave rise to primates and primates gave rise to humans. And as we humans grew and developed and somehow stumbled upon the stage of intelligence, we created the internet! Then we created nature blogging.

We nature bloggers love to celebrate. We hold carnivals for the trees that shelter life around the globe and the plants that grow alongside them, the birds flitting and flying and filling every ecological niche, the invertebrates whose near limitless presence outnumbers and outweighs all other life on the planet, the oceans that offer incomprehensible diversity, and the moths fluttering in and out of our lives on a regular basis. We even celebrate the best science writing in the blogosphere and the very mechanism of biology that gave rise to all the life we see around us.

Yet our cold-blooded ancestors didn’t vanish into the ether. They evolved right along with everything else, and today their children share the world with us as toads, frogs, lizards, turtles and terrapins and tortoises, salamanders and newts, crocodiles and alligators, snakes, and a veritable horde of creatures. We see the gecko walk across the ceiling whilst miraculously defying gravity.  We see the crocodile hunt and kill something as large as a wildebeest. We see the snake whose venom not only subdues but saves lives by treating stroke victims. We see turtle traffic jams with each individual climbing atop the next as everyone vies for a bit of sunshine. We see the poisonous frog with colors so bright that we scarcely can imagine something that beautiful. We see the skink who grows back a tail just as easily as we might grow a fingernail after it’s been trimmed. And with all that beauty and all that magic, we don’t see a blog carnival to celebrate them.

So we decided to change that. Amber of Birder’s Lounge and I (Jason of xenogere) have conspired together to kick off a celebration of all things herpetological. With not too small a portion of co-conspiracy prodding by Ted of Beetles in the Bush, along with the expert guidance of Mike from 10,000 Birds and Nature Blog Network, the time has come for House of Herps, a monthly blog carnival centered on all things amphibian and reptilian.

House of Herps will be a monthly carnival. The first edition will be hosted at the carnival site, House of Herps, after which it will begin traveling to host blogs. The general deadline for submissions is the 15th of each month with the carnival appearing a few days after that. And much to our joyful excitement, we already have submissions for the first carnival from people who knew of our plot to launch this extravaganza.

So if you love herps—if you photograph them, write about them, sketch or paint artwork based on them, study them, or just happen to see one that you mention on your blog—we want to hear from you for House of Herps #1 coming in mid-December. We also want to hear from you if you’re interested in hosting the carnival. Please visit the House of Herps site for contact information, or send your submission links to us at submissions [at] houseofherps.com