Field Photos: Snakes, Caterpillars, Orchids and Millipedes

I’ve been pretty tied-up the last couple of weeks, and as result the blog postings haven’t been very frequent…

As evidence to my continued existence, I thought that I’d post a few snapshots.

Hopefully, I’ll find time this weekend to put together some meatier content; until then here are a few critters that have been encountered during the previous two weeks:



















Automeris io
The "Io Moth" Caterpillar

Yes, the spines can sting!
You can read more about caterpillars here - Papilio's Unconstrained Phenotypic Flexibility.






















Sistrurus miliarius
The "Pygmy Rattlesnake"

As chance would have it, this one was photographed the day after my posting on pygmy rattlesnake venom.

Compare the picture here with the one featured in that posting - Venomous Fables and Phenotypic Variations at the Molecular Level.























Thamnophis sauritus nitae
The "Bluestripe Ribbon Snake"

Catching a little sun on a cypress tree's hummock this past Thursday. Poor image quality, but a beautiful snake.




















Elaphe obsoleta spiloides
The "Gray Rat Snake"

His coloration and pattern is well camouflaged with the forest floor.





























Spiranthes sp. ???
A orchid in the "ladies-tresses" group.

Haven't keyed this one out yet... I'm confident that it belongs to the genus Spiranthes, just not sure which one...

Compare it with Wetland Plant of The Week #16, Spiranthes praecox.


























Sigmoria sp. ???
A "Millipede"

Not real good with millipede identification... I'd venture to guess that this one belongs to the Genus Sigmoria but I'm not positive...