Canopy Roads of South Georgia

Yellow Dog and her snake

My snake!

Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 October 2012.

The dogs barked up a storm while I was picking okra, and by the time I got there the snake was in sad shape. Too bad, as I keep explaining to Brown Dog and Yellow Dog, snakes eat mice.

-jsq

Black Snake

A snakey present from the dogs:

Picture by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 September 2012.

I like snakes: they eat rodents, and I'm allergic to rodents. But the dogs don't like snakes that trespass on their area near the house. They left this one in the middle of the walkway from the house to the carport. You see it in the truck on the way to somewhere else.

I think Yellow Dog is nostalgic for her YouTube hit, Black Snake vs. Yellow Dog. They look mild-mannered, Yellow Dog and Brown Dog, but so far a beaver, a raccoon, several rattlesnakes, and two kinds of water moccassins have found tangling with the dogs is not a good idea.

Although that copperhead did give Yellow Dog a bit of a hangover. Here Yellow Dog thanks you for your concern.

-jsq

Turtle eggs, Okra Paradise Farms, 21 June 2012

Well, that field turtle did lay eggs. Unfortunately something ate them:

Turtle eggs, Okra Paradise Farms: Unfortunately something ate them
John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman, Brown Dog, Yellow Dog,
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 21 June 2012

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Turtle, Okra Paradise Farms, 19 June 2012

Walking along a drainage ditch with the dogs, Gretchen saw this interesting turtle:

John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman,
Brown Dog, Yellow Dog,
Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 June 2012.
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms.

We think it's probably a slider turtle, Trachemys scripta, but it's hard to be sure. We didn't pick it up, because it appeared to be laying eggs.

Big slider turtle, Okra Paradise Farms, 10 June 2012

The dogs alerted us to something in the woods near the house. Here it was, climbing a branch:

Big slider turtle, Okra Paradise Farms, 10 June 2012
John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman,
Brown Dog, Yellow Dog,
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms.

It's a slider turtle, Trachemys scripta. Here it is in corn silk (we'd just been shucking corn):

Planted Longleaf, Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 April 2012

These are the same longleaf planted in 2008, blogged 10 October 2010, burned a second time 16 December 2011, and greening and candling again February 2012.

Pictures of Gretchen Quarterman with the planted longleaf (Pinus palustris)
by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 April 2012.

Almost all of them survived the prescribed burn, and many of them are quite tall. The planted little bluestem and big bluestem are also thriving, along with native verbena, and some less savory invasive exotics, including trash along the road. Plus Gretchen's favorite: dog fennel! And along the fence row cedars, pecans, plums, grapes, wild cherry, and a gopher tortoise. Here's a flickr slideshow:

Snake in the wiregrass

Yes, Brown Dog and Yellow Dog found another hog-nosed snake. Hiding:

John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman, Brown Dog, Yellow Dog, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 March 2012.
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms.

Boxed:

 

Slider Turtle

In hand:

John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman, Lowndes County, Georgia, 9 March 2012.
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms.

On ground:

 

Snake in the oak leaves

Yellow Dog and Brown Dog pointing:

Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms.

Can you see it there, between the wiregrass and the oak log?

 

Dessicated lizard

I guess it had been there a while:

Pictures of a dried lizard by John S. Quarterman, Lowndes County, Georgia, 20 September 2011.

-jsq