Awesome Husband was so charmed by my "artist's rendition" at the end of that post, he re-created it in neon, and hung it in the garage for my birthday. Every time I drive in, the neon snake lights up to greet me.
Still, I mourned the lost photograph.
I got my chance a few days ago, while refilling the goats' water bowls. As I bent over one of them, I saw a tiny cricket frog that seemed to have one leg stuck beneath the bowl. "Poor thing," I thought, and lifted the bowl to let it hop away, but it didn't move. Something long and very thin was stuck to its leg, keeping it from moving.
My brain needed a moment to process what I was seeing. A very small snake was coiled under the water bowl. The snake, not the dish, was keeping the frog from hopping away. When I removed his hiding place, he slithered over against the shed wall, frantically trying to escape and swallow his meal simultaneously. I think the snake is a Western Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus proximus), a very slender member of the Garter Snake clan.
Great pics! Glad you finally got them. Added bonus to get the frogs legs too.
ReplyDeleteBTW. Looks like the heat has broken here. High of 90F yesterday but 79F today. Yay!
JSK, fall weather finally greeted us, too! Our high today was about 73, with north breezes all day.
ReplyDelete...now that's a cool series! I love these little snakes and what a bonus to find one eating his lunch.
ReplyDeleteWow! Very nice photo opp! I love the one with the frog legs sticking out the side of the snakes mouth...nature in action!
ReplyDeleteMaurie, I really like that one, too. The frog didn't care for it, though.
ReplyDeleteNice photos. Too bad you missed the one with the frog holding the snake's neck with his front legs. Oh, wait, that was a heron, wasn't it? I managed to catch a rat snake trying to warm up right after hibernation, but never a garter snake. Very nice bonus with the frog. I hope the goats and dogs give you time to take more photographs.
ReplyDeleteGreat series of photos, Joy. I am so glad to see this ribbon snake. I recently photographed what I thought was a ribbon snake, only to learn that it was really a garter snake. I can see now the difference in over all size and head shape, though the coloration is very similar. Cricket frogs are small, and that really helps with scale. That, and the nail heads we can see in the shed siding. Very cool. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWith this post, and the earlier one you linked to, I can see we are a match made in heaven, or wherever these critters are assembled. I salute you across the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteAmber, it's funny you say that, because I photographed it thinking "garter snake," only to learn that it was a ribbon snake.
ReplyDeleteMurr, I'm honored by your comment. I admire your blog and your sense of humor.
Hi Joy,
ReplyDeleteVery nice series of shots, even if it wasn't your target Thamnophis. I'm not sure how it is in your part of the country, but here in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic we find garters all the time underneath cover. Try looking under logs, flat rocks, or other cover objects, or even laying out some boards in the weeds near water. After a few months the local garters start taking advantage of the shelter.
Wow wow wow. So glad you got your snake, and at such a moment. As a small child, I saw a water snake choking down an enormous bullfrog while gliding across a pond, its upper body raised completely out of the water. We followed in a rowboat, watching until the legs disappeared and the snake went under. Your snake and frog are so ... pretty and delicate, compared to that battle of titans. Of course, I was only five, so they may not have been quite as big as they seemed...
ReplyDelete