Late Spring to Summer in Missouri

[Soro]

I find that as the herping season moves into hotter weather, I am less inclined to take pictures and less patient when doing so. As things really warmed up in Missouri, I visited an igneous glade one day with my friends Kyle and Edward. Kyle and I spent a half an hour trying to scare this big boy out of a crevice.

Broad-Headed Skink (Eumeces laticeps) by Peter Paplanus, on Flickr

We took two shots, and he took off.

One cloudy and rainy day I took a few friends to herp a glade that a landowner gave me permission to explore. We got rained on for a good two hours, but this beauty made it worth the discomfort:

Red Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum syspila) by Peter Paplanus, on Flickr

This next shot I'm really proud of. Back in 2009, I saw my first eastern collared lizard with my buddy John. Ever since then, I've tried to replicate the image of a proud male standing atop the tallest rock on his glade. After countless failed attempts, I'm really glad with how this one turned out.

Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) by Peter Paplanus, on Flickr

As the Mississippi River went down in mid July, I checked many of the drying pools in hopes of finding some stranded map turtles. I was successful!

False Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica) by Peter Paplanus, on Flickr

And now to end the post with a bang! Er, coachwhip...

Eastern Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum flagellum) by Peter Paplanus, on Flickr

I couldn't resist.

[justinm]

I love that Coachwhip shot.

[jack4rogers]

Awesome pictures!! Holy cow, that Coachwhip shot is killer!

[Soro]

Thanks guys! Of everything I take pictures of, I'm a real perfectionist about coachwhips.

[pjfishpa]

Very nice!