Guadalupe River

The main purpose of this trip was a vacation to visit my father, but I did manage to see some of the native wildlife.

On my way to San Antonio I spotted this (LUECKE) outside of Austin from the airplane window. From what I have read online, the word (the landowner's last name) is 2.5 miles long from L to the last E and the letters are just over a half mile tall. The mind boggles at the possibilities of what I would write if I had the land and the manpower to selectively deforest like this.

First off, some domesticated animals.

Rocky Jack, Butterscotch...

and Modo, who has managed to get his bridle twisted, are all rescues through Habitat for Horses.

A kitten, scourge of wildlife, despoiler of gardens.

And now the native animals.

Gulf Coast Toad Bufo v. valliceps. Note the dark lateral stripe, triangular parotoid glands, the cranial crests, and the light middorsal stripe.

Here you can see the large "valley" between the cranial crests.

One of many Bark Scorpions Centruroides vittatus, I think, seen on this trip. Any scorpion experts out there feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Southern Yellowjacket Vespula squamosa nest.

Rio Grande Frog Rana berlandieri. The light line on the upper lip is usually incomplete or absent anterior to the eyes.

Blanchard's Cricket Frog Acris crepitans blanchardi.

The ragged stripe helps tell this species apart from the other Cricket Frogs.

Can be told apart from Chorus Frogs by their extensive webbing (Chorus Frogs have far less than this).

If you have seen the movie Tommy Boy you know the tune ♫ fat guy in a little boat ♪.

Texas River Cooter Pseudemys texana.

More River Cooters basking.

Here is a dirty Cooter crawling into my lap. For the sake of young readers I will forgo all the possible double entendres I could enter here.

I was trying to "park" the kayak so I could get some steady shots before letting it go, but this little one was tired of being in the bottom of the boat and made a run for it.

Here it is rinsed off.

And now the underside.

One last River Cooter to show the beautiful markings.

And a very shy Cagle's Map Turtle Graptemys caglei. This was unfortunately the best map picture I was able to get all day.

More pictures on page 2