| The heat of summer is finally breaking up a bit. These pics taken on a short outing (about 45 minutes) in Missouri this week following several inches of rain and the big temperature drop.
These dumpy fellows are often a good sign for me that certain other species are out
Great plains narrowmouth toad, Gastrophryne olivacea
This big osage copperhead had a rock that has produced up to 7 copperheads at one time all to himself today
Osage copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster
Last good rock of the forest clearing
Large old red milk, L. t. syspila, "in the blue"
Nothing like spring or fall numbers, but the prairie ringnecks showed themselves in a few places
Prairie ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus arnyi
And finally, of many "incidental" herps from a family trip to Branson, southern Missouri, a couple of these were seen, much to the delight of these padawans (mine is the one on the far right) — many not-so-incidental trout landed in free time on that trip also)
Pickerel Frog, Rana palustris
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