Natural History Notes
by Bob Thomas

Delta Journal
by Bob Thomas

The largest freshwater turtle in North America is the alligator snapping turtle, Macroclemys temminckii, often locally called the loggerhead (not to be confused with the loggerhead sea turtle that is common along Louisiana’s coast).

This species is brown, has three rows of large pointed scutes down the back, a very long tail, and a massive head that cannot be entirely withdrawn into the shell. Overall, it looks like a rough stump in the water.

Natural History Writing
by Bob Thomas

Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas

Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas

Possibly the most abundant frog species in our area are the northern cricket frog, Acris crepitans, and the southern cricket frog, Acris gryllus. The northern cricket frog occurs throughout Louisiana, and the southern cricket frog occurs only in the Florida Parishes north of Lake Pontchartrain. Although the northern cricket frog ranges further to the west, both essentially have a southeastern United States distribution.

Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas

Green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea) are one of Louisiana's most recognizable frogs. They are common denizens of ponds, roadside ditches, canals, and swamps, often found on doors and windows where they feed on insects drawn by the porch light.

Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas

Nature Notes
By Bob Thomas

Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas

Spotted salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum, are beautiful and intriguing forest critters. They reach about six inches long, and have paired yellow spots down the back that shine against a rich black background. Two of the spots at the back of the head are usually pale orange.

Delta Journal
by Bob Thomas

Most of us associate frog breeding with warm rainy nights in spring and summer. There are, however, several local frog species that restrict their breeding to cooler weather, mating throughout our winter months.