FieldHerpForum

The sun was out, the day was warm, so I straddled my manly Taiwan Hog (17 year old 125 cc scooter) and took to the Green Outdoors. Didn't see any herps of note, just the usual Indian Forest Skinks and a few very skittish grass lizards (Takydromus sp.). Also missed out on a few choice shots at the ubiquitous Taiwan National Bird and a bunch of also very common, but always amazing Serpent Eagles (Chilornis speela) But the woods and meadows were full of all manner of other beautiful creatures that would actually hold still for the camera.

Let's start with a couple of bugs.

Red Percher, Neurothermis ramburii


Indian Monarch, Danaus genutia


Swinhoes Chocolate Tiger (gottta love that name!), Parantica swinhoei


This guy (Asota sp.?) must have gotten pretty wasted at last night's party: not only did he forget the way home, but he also parked his heinie on the worst background imaginable...


One of the 70-odd ladybug species here (Lemnia circumsta). Check out the MeisterFotografer's reflection in the carapace.


Cicada skin


"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" When Hunter S. Thompson coined that immortal phrase, he was probably thinking of Megarrhamphus truncatus.



Now for some shrubbery:

Lavender Sorrel, Oxalis corymbosa


Cudweed, Gnaphalium affine


L'art pour l'art. (Bamboo; the kind you eat)


Ganoderma mushrooms, growing straight out of the bamboo leaf litter


Unidentified fungi



A little habitat:

You can imagine why it's difficult to flip for snakes in this kind of terrain. Hell, it's difficult to access it!


Turn right on your heel, and you see Taipei City in the not-too-far distance.


That's not a midget village on the far hillside, but a cemetery


Hey, look what I found! Another skank! I love this country!


(Sphenomorphus indicus)

This is my official statement in response to the post's original title of "One for the closet botanists and bug lovers."

"I am not a plant or bug lover. I never have been a plant or bug lover.... In June, I overreacted and made a poor decision. I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away.... Please let me apologize to my family, friends and staff and fellow Idahoans for the cloud placed over Idaho. I did nothing wrong at the Taipei airport. I did nothing wrong, and I regret the decision to plead guilty and the sadness that decision has brought on my wife, on my family, friends, staff and fellow Idahoans."

I simply have a "wide stance" when I go herping, and that's what caused this whole misunderstanding.

Nice, I enjoyed lookign through and really like the shot of the white fungi, great composition, lighting, and DOF in my opinion
Now lets see some Formosan cobras.....

Thanks very much! For a Formosan cobra and a side of brewski, look no further than here.