Mike Pingleton

@somuchpingle

Naturalist, Author, Peru wildlife guide, all photos mine 📷 Brain-only creator🪲 Host of the So Much Pingle herpetology podcast 🐸 Co-author of "The Field Herping Guide" 📗 Co-creator of HerpMapper (herpmapper.org) 🦎 Herpetofauna blogger at fieldherping.org 🐢

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Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· 20d

So I've been stuck at home for May-June-July, either waiting for knee surgery or recovering from it. I could still stump around the house, so I rebuilt our back deck, with some help at key points from friends. Still needs banisters, a skirt, & landscaping but otherwise it's done and I'm pleased.

Side view of a new wooden deck attached to a two-story, light green house. The new deck's wooden planks are stained with an orangish-brown cedar tone, with black iron railings around the perimeter. The deck is topped with a shade-casting pergola made with beams and timbers, stained to match the rest of the deck.

Angled side view of a new wooden deck attached to a two-story, light green house. The new deck's wooden planks are stained with an orangish-brown cedar tone, with black iron railings around the perimeter. The deck is topped with a shade-casting pergola made with beams and timbers, stained to match the rest of the deck.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· 23d

Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness. (Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters). #birds 🌿

Side image of two birds perched high in a tree, blue sky in the background. One bird faces left, the other is facing right. They have greenish-blue wings and tail feathers, a yellowish-green breast. Their throats are bright yellow, and their napes and the tops of their heads are a chestnut brown. Their beaks are long, slender, and slightly curved.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· 25d

Today is #WorldSnakeDay and I'm featuring my favorite venomous serpent, the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus). Historically, this snake occupied much of the eastern US, and still thrives in protected habitat. This golden specimen is from central Indiana. #herps #snakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

An angled-down image of a rattlesnake in a wide coil among fallen leaves on the forest floor, and facing right. This is a closeup image of the snake's head and portions of the upper body - the tail and lower body are not in the image. The snake's ground color is a golden yellow, and there are dark gray chevrons on the body that start at the neck. The head is unmarked and golden yellow, as is the iris. The pupil is dark and elliptical. Leaves of brown and orange and rusty red are scattered about the snake, and dappled sunlight illuminates the snake here and there.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· 27d

Today's venomous is a Texas Coral Snake (Micrurus tener). Photographed in situ, basking on a sidewalk one morning outside a nature center in south TX. There's an old rhyme about coral snakes that is not a reliable diagnostic tool... esp. in other countries. #herps #snakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

Angled-down image of a snake on a concrete sidewalk, its body in a series of serpentine curves with the head at lower right, and the tail out of the picture at upper left. The snake is banded with three colors, black, then yellow, then red. The front part of the head is black, the latter half to the neck is yellow, and then black after that to start the pattern all the way down the body. The yellow bands are narrow, just a few scales wide, while the black and red bands are much wider. The small black eyes are barely visible against the rest of the black around them.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· 28d

I decided, over coffee this AM, to post some venomous snakes (I've been remiss lately on sharing critters). A San Lucan Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber lucasensis) from Baja Sur, Mexico. Photographed at night - more deets in the ALT. #herps #snakes #rattlesnakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

An angled down image of a rattlesnake in a loose serpentine coil, on a substrate of small gravel, head facing right. The snake is many hues of brown, and each scale is unicolored - meaning that the scales define the edges of the snake's body pattern. The ground color is a light tan, and there are a series of diamond-shaped blotches (or saddles) that run down the back from head to tail. The blotches are orangish-brown, and the centers of many have a row or two of lighter scales. There is a light streak that runs diagonally from the space between the eye and nose, ending at the jaw. The snake's tail and rattle are visible in the center of the image - the tail has black and white stripes, and the orangish-brown rattle shows four segments. The snake is in situ at the base of a lava flow, no doubt waiting for a rodent to come too close. It was illuminated long enough for me to take a flash photo, but otherwise undisturbed. The snake likely spends the heat of the day deep inside the piled boulders of the lava flow, coming out after sunset to post up in ambush position.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· 29d

A big branch in our walnut tree snapped last night (we slept right thru it). It took out the bird feeder, and when I went out to inspect the damage this morning our local nuthatches were raising a ruckus until I rigged up a temporary feeder. I feel the ruckus was directed at me 😁

Side image of a bird feeder in the shade, hanging on a broken tree branch, amidst a backdrop of walnut leaves and the neighbor’s house beyond that. One small bird is at the feeder.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jul 10

The Garden in July. Not quite Peak Petalization, but close enough. Mostly native and mostly perennials. I’m out there with my morning coffee on most days. Some planning was involved but more of it is just happy accidents. #flowers #garden #BloomScrolling

Side image of a flower garden with a cedar fence in the background. The image is full of blooming flowers of many kinds and many colors - purple, coral, orange, yellow, and white.

Side image of a flower garden with a tool shed in the background. The image is full of blooming flowers of many kinds and many colors - purple, coral, orange, yellow, and white.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jul 5

A rainy 4th here, thunder outperforming gunpowder so far. One of the neighborhood raccoons is leisurely grazing under the neighbor’s bird feeder, seemingly oblivious to the rain and racket.

Side image of an adult raccoon, facing left and foraging head down in the grass under two bird feeders. Only the support poles for the feeders are visible, one in front of the critter, and one behind.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 26

Pulled from the archives for a blog post but it's also perfect for #FrogFriday - a pair of Green Treefrogs (Hyla cinerea) having a moment. Their call is a "queenk-queenk-queenk". Near Houston, Texas, May 2010. (I'm aware of Dryophytes, but I'll stick with Hyla). #herps #frogs #NaturePhotography 🌿

Side image of two amplexing treefrogs clinging to some green stems and facing left. The frogs are vertical, and the male on the right is clasping the female tightly with all four limbs, essentially hanging onto her back. Their dorsal color is a light green, with a yellow stripe running down each side of their body from the eye to the groin. Their bellies and chins are creamy white, and their digits have flattened disks on the tips which are typical for treefrog species. The iris is a dark bronzy color, and the pupils are dark and horizontally elliptical.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 23

A Keeled Slug Snake (Pareas carinatus), poking around in the vegetation in search of a slug dinner (slimy yet satisfying). Peninsular Thailand, 2023. #herps #snakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

Side image of a snake, facing left and emerging from behind a bright green leaf. Only the head, neck, and a few inches of the body are visible. The snake's ground color is a golden yellow, overlaid with small yellowish-brown blotches. The snake's eye is proportionally large,; the iris is orangish-gold and the pupil is vertically elliptical.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 21

The Garden in June. I found this lavender-tinged Culver’s Root (native prairie perennial) at the good garden center. My established CR have white flowers so I’m happy to add some variety. Goldenrod and bee balm in the background. #flowers #garden #BloomScrolling

Side image of a flowering plant with a green wall of plants in the background, against and orangish-brown cedar fence. The flowers on this featured plant are long, spiky stems with tiny lavender-colored flowers.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 17

2/2 This is an oceanic island, rising out of the water, so all life got here by flight or by rafting. No large mammals on the island, so no rattles are needed to warn others of the snake's presence. No water either - plants and animals get moisture from rare rainfall or the organisms they consume.

Side image of a very pale whitish-brown rattlesnake in a loose coil, tucked up in some spiky grass, in the lower right third of the image. To the left, the image opens up to show some tall and chubby cacti in the middle distance, with a rocky promontory and a small bit of the ocean behind all.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 17

🧵1/2 I was digging photos out of archive backups for someone and came across these - an Isla Santa Catalina Rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis), from my 1st visit to the island in 2013. This species is unique in that it does not have a rattle. #herps #snakes #rattlesnakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

Angled-down side image of a rattlesnake in a loose, oval coil, head pointing to the left, tail (without a rattle) to the right. The snake's ground color is a white tinged with light brown, and there are a series of faded blotches of a darker brown running down the body.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 14

#SilentSunday

Side view of a sandy desert landscape. The wind has left ripples and ridges in the fine sand. There are some scraggly bushes here and there, and the early morning sunlight gives them long and thin shadows on the sand.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 13

State of the Garden, June 13th. Coneflowers are just starting to bloom, along with coreopsis, milkweeds, gaura, yarrow, and calaminth. Peak Lily is happening in the back. So many other plants on the edge of glory 🙂 Another week or so and…. #flowers #garden #BloomScrolling

Image of a raised bed flower garden with an orangish brown cedar fence running along the back. Blooming flowers include blue lobelia, yellow coreopsis, white and pink gaura, pink and lavender agastache, white cottontail achillea, purple veronica, white calaminth, white Shasta daisy, coral, yellow and pink zinnias, yellow and pink milkweed, orange tiger lily.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 8

For #WorldOceansDay, a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) I observed in 2024 while snorkeling in Komodo National Park in the Indonesian archipelago. #herps #turtles #NaturePhotography 🌿

A top-down shot of a sea turtle swimming along about 2 meters below the surface. The surrounding water is a light blue, and some very blurry darker shapes are part of the sea bottom, meters below. The turtle's shell is a rusty orange color, as is the head and neck. Its flippers are a dark brown, but the spaces between each scale are white, making each scale on the limbs stand out.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 8

Rain today, so no work outside :( A friend is visiting Madagascar atm, so I'm jonesing hard to get back. Madagascar famous for lemurs and chameleons, but the day geckos are gorgeous and ubiquitous. Gold Dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda), Toamasina Province. #herps #lizards #NaturePhotography 🌿

Side image of a bright green lizard (gold dust day gecko) on a moss-covered brick wall, head near the top center. The gecko has a blend of colors - the body is a light green, and the tail is yellowish green, with rows of longitudinal darker streaks. There are three bright red marks just above the back legs, that look like paint daubs, and there are three red chevron-like marks across the head. The tops of the eyelids are a pale blue, as are all four limbs.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 7

I planted some Agastache (“hummingbird mint “) (or “Hyssop”) this spring to add a little color mid-garden. At dusk yesterday I watched a hummingbird nectar at them - works as advertised 🙂 #flowers #garden #BloomScrolling

Side image of two flower stalks against a background of green plant leaves. Each stalk has toothy flower spikes, lavender in color, with many tubular flowers of a pale yellowish orange.

Side image of two flower stalks against a background of green plant leaves, stones, and light green ground plants. Each flower stalk has toothy flower spikes, lavender in color, with many tubular flowers of a pale yellowish orange.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 6

It’s common knowledge that I’m a few planks short of a deck…hoping to finish up the surface tomorrow if the weather holds. Then guard rails and new steps.

Angled down image of a backyard deck in the process of getting refurbished. In the middle ground, new planks have been added to the deck frame. In the foreground, open joists await new planks.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· Jun 2

Rabbit Rabbit! I’ve been in minimal social media mode for the past two weeks as I set the garden to rights and started refurbishing the back deck. It’s been lovely, spending all day everyday outside with the birds and bunnies and garter snakes.

Angled down image of a wooden deck in a back yard setting. Many of the deck planks have been removed as the image captures the demolition portion of the refurbish.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 24

Joe Pye Weed, looking handsome. Once the weather warms up it will reach for the sky. #flowers #garden #BloomScrolling

A top-down image of a green-leaved plant. The topmost leaves are a grayish green - these are new leaves which will turn green as time passes.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 22

I went to trim the lilac bush rubbing against our house, and found this Northern Cardinal nest. The lilacs can wait. Also a pair of mallards that hang around my back-fence neighbor’s above-ground pool are back for a 3rd year. They paddle around & perch on the edge. I don’t know their names. #birds

Angled down image of a bird’s nest framed by green leaves and containing three eggs, white with brown speckles.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 18

If you see this, post your getaway vehicle.

Side image of a “peanut mobile”, and vehicle designed to look like a large peanut.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 17

First Monarch in my garden this season. I decided to put in a few extra Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) today, and this beauty came nectaring about 20 minutes after planting. #flowers #butterflies #BloomScrolling 🌿

Angled-down image of a butterfly (monarch) perched on a flowering plant (butterfly weed). The monarch’s wings are closed, showing the underside.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 15

Young Buns III - “Who’s Guardin’ The Garden?” Costarring Veronica Gaura. #flowers #BloomScrolling 🌿

Side image of a very young cottontail rabbit crouched under two clumps of flowering plants with pink petals (Gaura) and facing left.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 13

Happy hump day! A Hump-nosed Pit Viper (Hypnale hypnale) observed in Goa province, w. India in 2023. The snake was about a foot off the ground, in some twiggy brush, likely waiting in ambush for a frog or a gecko to come by. A small serpent at 12-18 inches. #herps #snakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

Side image of a snake perched on some slender branches and facing left. The snake's ground color is a pale brown, and there are a series of small streaky dark blotches along the top of the body, spaced far apart. The snake's pointy head is two-toned, being pale brown above the eyes, and a darker brown below. The iris of the eye is silvery, and the pupil is dark, and vertically elliptical.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 12

Masterwort (Astrantia) right, and Petite Jenny (Lychnis) left, looking cute and happy in the bottom of the garden. #flowers #BloomScrolling

Side image of flowering plants in a garden. The plant on the right has large five-leafed stems, with dark lavender blossoms poking out the top. The leftmost plant has smaller leaves close to the soil, with pink flowers at the end of long stems.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 10

An odd spring here in central Illinois. I still have Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks at the feeder, which usually come thru in early April. I still have White-crowned Sparrows too. I like birds but I’m not plugged into the birding world, so I dunno. Maybe it’s a normal swing. I’m not complaining 😁 #birds

Crappy cell phone shot of a bird at a feeder. The bird (a rose-breasted grosbeak) has a white body, a large red splotch on the upper breast, a black head and black wings marked with white streaks.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 10

Wrapping up #AmphibiaWeek with a Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra), observed late at night on a dirt road somewhere in SE Belgium last year. #herps #salamanders #NaturePhotography 🌿

Side view of a large salamander on sandy soil, body facing left, head slightly turned to face the camera. The salamander's ground color is black, overlaid with many bright yellow blotches. There is a rough line of blotches that start above each eye and continue down the head and back to the tail. The tail also has a few irregular yellow blotches, as do all four limbs. The chin and and belly are also blotched in yellow.

Mike Pingleton@somuchpingle· May 6

For #AmphibianWeek, a Mantady Bright-eyed Frog (Boophis tasymena), observed in SE Madagascar, 2023. A female with eggs slightly visible in her abdomen. The etymology of Boophis is uncertain, but I like to think it derives from the Greek "Bo-Opis" or "cow-eyed". #herps #frogs #NaturePhotography 🌿