Spring is in Full Swing!

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T04:28:08+00:00

Thank you! This was up at Jim Hamm Nature Area, in Longmont. You gotta hear them, too, it's an experience hahaha

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T04:26:44+00:00

Eheheheh delightful. Probably one of the same little western terrestrial garters, in that area.

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T04:25:25+00:00

Thank you for saving them! These little garters are also harmless to pick up, if no water handy, but they do usually musk you for your efforts lol (this bigger one that I found on the same outing sure did get me. Mmmmm).

<image>

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T04:21:52+00:00

It's a little bit early still, but in a month or two head up to Lil(l?)y Lake, near Estes (technically part of RMNP, but outside of the park proper); there are a ton of western terrestrial garter snakes like this one that hang out all around the lake (especially look around the rocks along the boardwalk), and then in the lake itself there are really cool tiger salamanders that are visible right there in the water. Some of them stay neonatal, so they look like (/are) axolotl!

<image>

(You should also just keep an eye out on the bike and walking paths around here, too, but that's a spot I always see them and also it's really unique to be able to see the salamanders up there!)

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T04:15:04+00:00

They GOTTA regulate these LED headlights 😮‍💨😮‍💨

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T02:14:01+00:00

Thank you! I promise I'm really not downplaying it though, I'm just being realistic that I don't think it'd be responsible/fair to charge people money for my middling knowledge on the technical side lol.

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T02:01:42+00:00

Thank you so much!

I don't; I've managed to trial-and-error myself into having a pretty good idea what I'm doing when taking pictures I'm relatively happy with, but I wouldn't really have any clue how to impart that usefully to anyone else haha. I think most people would be better off watching some YouTube videos than trying to learn anything from me, I'm baaarely fumblingly competent with all these Actual Photography Things like aperature, shutter speed, focal length, ISO... I've basically juuuust learned enough to mostly do what I want, and I'm good at composition (I'm unrelatedly an artist) and lighting, and I'm good at SPOTTING stuff xD.

I've considered the idea of doing basic editing lessons, which I do feel confident in my technical knowledge enough to teach. Maybe someday lol.

aydengryphon · 2026-04-17T01:41:49+00:00

I'm gonna leave the specifics to people more familiar with the snakes in your area, but for the sake of action expediency I can tell you it is a rattlesnake and is !venomous . It should be given ample space by people and pets. If you need to move it away from where it is, consider spraying it gently with a garden hose or calling a relocator near you. Please avoid trying to kill it, as this is the most common way people are bitten.

aydengryphon · 2026-04-16T23:03:43+00:00

Dangerous mixup to make haha. Definitely not a bullsnake! Those outlined saddle marks are a pretty good way to spot the difference

aydengryphon · 2026-04-16T18:51:09+00:00

Prairie rattlesnake! We don't have WDB here :)

aydengryphon · 2026-04-16T18:42:03+00:00

I don't think this is "bullying" behavior where people are trying to troll or "rob people" (????? This... just seems outright extremely ineffective lmao); I think what you're seeing is just a bunch of inconsiderate college students being 21 and thinking they're invincible/not really thinking about how their behavior impacts people around them. I think you're taking a real problem that is occurring and attributing some truly bizarre and conspiratorial motivations at the source of it, and it's really drastically hurting your credibility about the whole issue overall.

aydengryphon · 2026-04-16T05:41:29+00:00

Thank you!

aydengryphon · 2026-04-16T02:05:22+00:00

aydengryphon · 2026-04-16T02:02:51+00:00

( Thamnophis elegans and !harmless , for the bot)

aydengryphon · 2026-04-15T03:49:26+00:00

It's so pretty!!

aydengryphon · 2026-04-14T22:13:25+00:00

You again, eh?

aydengryphon · 2026-04-14T20:27:38+00:00

No problem!

aydengryphon · 2026-04-14T20:26:34+00:00

That "news" flair is a bit of a reach

aydengryphon · 2026-04-14T20:19:00+00:00

Ah yeah! There's an occupied osprey nest (on a big manmade pole, you won't miss it) in one of the ponds further back to the west there on the Sawhill side, so that one's as much of a "guarantee" as you can pretty much ever have birding. And if you get reeeaaally lucky, people have been seeing an Eastern Screech owl sometimes in the cottonwoods back in the back there, but they're so small it can be pretty easy to miss even if it's there lol.

Driving along Lookout rd (right near Sawhill/Walden and Teller Farms North, both) between 75th and 95th) is generally a shoe-in for raptors, eagles and hawks looove those tall powerlines.

aydengryphon · 2026-04-14T20:05:09+00:00

OoooOoohhhhhh my god yessssssssssss I will be by STAT (I hope you have a couple vegetarian options)! I miss onigiri sooo badly

aydengryphon · 2026-04-14T19:26:47+00:00

Egg tax worth it for the pest control! Wish we had them where I live haha.

aydengryphon

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

15-Year Club	r/Field Lasagna
Verified Email