Our Backyard Herps: these are herps we photographed in our area ~ Northeast Pennsylvania

Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus),egg layer (two we had captive for a short time gave live birth to 6 young each - also documented in Florida) harmless, eats earthworms, salamanders, lizards & newborn snakes.

Belly of Ringneck Snake. Brightly patterned & colored, it will sometimes flash it's underbelly when alarmed as a scare tactic.

Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)a small, harmless snake, easy to find hiding under rocks & fallen logs.

Why they are called "Red-bellies", when caught or startled this cute snake curls up it's upper lips in a sneer, very funny to see!

Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) a very common salamander here. Found under moist logs or leaf litter. Leaves a bit of a sticky film on your hand after holding it.

A clutch of Red-backed Salamander eggs. Laid under a moist piece of wood, they are clumped together. She will attend them until they hatch, in about 2 months. Females only lay eggs every other year.

Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). Large ones can eat small birds, snakes, crayfish & other frogs. A big, hardy looking frog.

A Bullfrog tadpole. The quarter is there for scale ~ that's a big tadpole! They may take up to two years to transform.

An American Toad (Bufo americanus). A very docile toad, and a prodigious insect eater. May make peeping sounds when you hold them.

The large one is the American toad ~ the two smaller, plainer in color may be Fowler's toads (Bufo woodhousei fowleri). These are often seen at night catching bugs under lightposts.

Smooth Green snake (Opheodrys vernalis). A beautiful, slender, gentle snake active during the day. Eats insects & spiders which it hunts in the grass.

The Smooth green has a pretty creamy white colored belly and gold eyes.

Juvenile Common Garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). Garters are gentle & harmless, though they may let out a foul smelling musk when handled. Their tongues are bright red with black tips. They eat earthworms, salamanders, toads, mice, and small fish. They are quite common, hence the name.

Toad ~ unsure of species ~ if you know, drop us a line!

Adult Female Common Garter ~ found on high, rocky cliffside. Very large & healthy looking.

Shot of same female Garter ~ obviously very gravid! Common Garters give birth to live young.

Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor). These snakes are long, agile and fast! When caught, they roll and bite repeatedly.

Black racers, despite their scientific name, do not constrict their prey. They will rattle their tail when annoyed, making a "buzzing" type sound.

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon). These snakes are quite pretty (in a subtle way) "if" you can catch one! They have excellent eyesight & usually see you coming.

The beautiful belly of the Northern Water Snake. This species hunt frogs, minnows, salamanders, crustaceans & even small mammals. When sighted in the water they will take refuge beneath a submerged rock.

Red Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) this is the terrestrial "Eft" form, and this is obviously a baby. Often seen in great numbers after a warm rain.

Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinosus) These get up to 8" long and are quite fast. The name is due to the gluey substance the skin secretes ~ it is difficult to wash off.

Spring Peeper (Hyla crucifer) These produce that great springtime sound when they "peep" in great numbers. These tiny treefrogs hibernate in the winter under treebark and logs.

Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus)these are fast, alert skinks. Juveniles have a brilliant blue tail, breeding males have a red-orange head. These lizards "drop" their tails when caught, the dis-attached tail bleeds and moves for many minutes.

Black Rat Snake (Elaphe o obsoleta) These get big ~ up to 101 inches. They are powerful constrictors & excellent climbers. Often found sharing winter dens with Timber Rattlers & Copperheads.

Eastern Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)This turtle was found only 1/2 mile from our house ~ in the road of course! These turtles are very pretty. Females take 4 to 8 years to mature.

Painted turtles start out in life as carnivores but become herbivores as the mature. They like soft bottom lakes with vegetation, and slow moving, shallow streams and rivers. They love to bask on half submerged logs!

A Northern Copperhead in a favorite retreat, a rock wall.

Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokeson) Pennsylvania's other venomous snake. These are quite often seen, but are quick to run away if startled. They are quite beautiful with golden eyes and a bright orange tongue. We find they love rock piles and rock walls. "Danger,danger,danger!" quote from Steve Irwin!

Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) These snakes are venomous and better left alone. You need only to back away and go around them. These come in several color phases. They are in the Pit Viper Family, finding their prey with heat sensing pits located between their eyes and nostrils.

Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platyrhinos) These are harmless, chunky snakes with an excellent threat display (seen here spreading it's hood). Hissing & puffing up are also part of the act. This is a particularly pretty Hog.

Hognose are extremely variable in color All the Hognose on this page were all found in the same area. Here is a large solid black female and a greenish male. Hognose snakes rarely if EVER bite. They eat mostly toads & frogs.

Baby Eastern Hognose (Heterodon platyrhinos).

This baby put on a huge display for us. Eastern's are able to flatten their heads & "hood" more extremely than do the Western Hognose.

This page may take a few minutes to load due to the amount of pictures on it. Be patient it's worth waiting for!