As part of my job I spent three weeks in the alluvial valley of Mississippi sampling amphibians in Wetlands Reserve Program tracts as well as surrounding agricultural lands as part of a much larger effort to determine if the federal program is money well spent and has conservation benefits. I lived at some trailers on Wildlife Refuges in the area, where I also did some herping. Here are some photos from the field.
Broad Banded Watersnake (Nerodia fasciata)
Gray Rat Snake (Pantherophis spiloides)
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
The most amazing find of the area deserves a short story. I was walking in shallow (< 0.5 m) water looking down sampling for frogs when I see movement up ahead of me to my right. I look and this large Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) [VENOMOUS] had just successfully struck at a passing decent-sized Diamond-backed Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer). I spent the next five minutes or so observing the watersnake as it writhed for awhile and then fell victim to the cottonmouth. I could not stay to see if the cottonmouth consumed the watersnake but I assumed it would.
Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) [VENOMOUS]
Newly metamorphosed Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris)
Calling male Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea)
Calling male Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)
Calling male Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea)
Amplectant pair of Green Treefrogs (Hyla cinerea)
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)