fox

all of these species are native to ontario, which was pretty cool to see! the sites i work at usually have at least some pretty prevalent invasive species, so it's refreshing to visit a spot that has some thriving native species

male white-faced meadowhawk

milkweed tussock moth caterpillar

juvenile gull (not sure what species as they were a mixed bunch, either ring-billed or herring gull)

a photo of a river filled with american white waterlilies, none of which are flowering

river pics! featuring some insect friends :] a male white-faced meadowhawk (the dragonfly), milkweed tussock moth caterpillar, and also not an insect, a juvenile gull! (panting from the heat, as all gulls there were) also, a pic of the river, which was gorgeous and filled with waterlilies!

this is for a possible keychain/charm design. i'll post draft designs once ive made them :] looks like nobody's done my idea yet either!!

im so sorry, that's such a scary situation :( i hope the fires don't cause too much damage and that she's able to return without having to spend much on repairs and such no matter what ends up happening

part 2 of trails and water pics: the scenery :]

juvenile herring gull (native to ontario)

eastern chipmunk (native to ontario)

bittersweet nightshade (invasive 👎) (NOT EDIBLE!!!! they look tasty but they are not. they can and will poison you)

black walnut (native to ontario)

pics from the trails and water! i got lost walking in the trails and spent 2 hours extra walking back but that's okay ❤️ species names in alt text!! fun fact: did you know this is what juvenile herring gulls look like? you can often find these fellas begging adult gulls for food (unsuccessfully)

a close up of my cat's eye! i was just taking this to see how much detail my phone could capture, but this shot is so cool. i love his eyelashes

SUCH A LITTLE CUTIE

YOURE SO WELCOME!!! hognoses and sand boas are some of the greatest joys in the world

YOURE WELCOME!!! i really love them too, they're SO cute and some of them are the silliest looking creatures ever. they're so precious

some pics to show off the different scales and faces :] it's fascinating how different substrate can influence how they're built (also look at the sand boas goofy face)

there's more than these, like the shovel nosed snake for example. speaking of shovel noses, you'll notice all of these species have snouts designed for digging!! their bodies are built for it as well. e.g. hognoses have rough scales for dirt, while sand boas have very smooth scales for sand

NO THATS OKAY!!! i love questions and i love talking about animals :] i would say so much if it weren't for the character limit. there's quite a few and they're pretty varied in species! all of them do come up to the surface sometimes, especially hognoses, but sand boas for example stay mostly under

a lot of people don't realize snakes enjoy climbing either, even people who have snakes! they're super curious creatures and love having stuff to interact with, especially climbing material :] plus it's healthy for them. it's really cool to witness how they interact with enrichment. and thank you!!!

adding climbing material like branches etc can be easy enrichment for most snake species :] only really excluding species like sand boas and those that spend most of their time under substrate, although you could definitely try and see if they'll interact with it at all!

yes!! lots of snake species climb and LOVE having access to anything they can climb, including species often thought to not be interested in it (ball pythons for example). snakes like bullsnakes, fox snakes, pine snakes, rat snakes, are all built for specifically climbing but almost all species will

i just have my 2 gecko enclosures and my slug enclosure atm but ive made a bunch at work + im constantly doing new stuff with my own. new fun things i can do for the animals is Always on my mind

ME TOO their grumpy faces are literally the cutest... if i ever have the space and money to make a proper enclosure for a bullsnake im 100% adopting one. they need lots of space and lots of stuff to climb and interact with, but enclosure building and enrichment is my favourite thing ever

bullsnake

gopher snake

eastern fox snake

some snake species (like bullsnakes) have evolved to have "menacing" faces to help scare off danger, but i think theyre such cuties. here's some pics of my favourite species (names in the alt text) also!! gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bullsnakes love to hiss loudly. they're big complainers lol

a cutie bullsnake face i pulled from images because i unfortunately don't work with any 💔

i do!! my favourite snake ever is the eastern fox snake (not because of the name lol) but i love all colubrid snakes. i have a soft spot for bullsnakes, gopher snakes, pine snakes, and rat snakes. i love their personalities, how much they climb, and they're so pretty. look at this bullsnakes face

you're welcome!!! i love sharing info about reptiles, snakes especially, and it makes me super happy that you're interested in reading it!! <3

i could talk about garter snakes all day, but just one more thing: musk! the most common defense i get from handling them. if you pick up a garter snake they most likely won't bite you, however you will most certainly be musked. musk is a foul smelling liquid, harmless but VERY hard to wash off

a lot of harmless snake species will pretend to be venomous in order to scare off potential danger!! it's important to know which species of snake in your area is actually venomous and which ones aren't. if you do come across a venomous snake, leave them alone and they'll do the same!

fun fact to add to this: many snake species will "rattle" their tails when disturbed, not just rattlesnakes, and definitely not just venomous snakes. although, with snakes that don't have a rattle, it'll sound more like a buzzing sound on a flat surface/rapid rustling if surrounded by brush

one of a gartersnake's defense postures. they flatten their head and body, attempting to scare off any danger, a defense mechanism used by several snake species.

a rare moment for me!! this is a butler's gartersnake exhibiting its defensive posture, something i don't see very often. It flattens its head and body, coiling itself, shaking its tail, and sometimes faking strikes, to ward off danger. these are all defense mechanisms used by several snake species

thank you so much o wise heron

this took about 20 minutes so now im tempted to time how long the painting takes (it'll likely take more than today but i'll time each session im working on it)

thank you!!! <3 the wings and feathers are my favourite part of drawing/painting birds, they're so fun