As many are posting, it has been a banner year to date in alterna-land. I just got back from my annual trip and myself, my sons Geoffrey and Hans, "had a great success" finding alterna as well! Below are some images of a pair of alterna we found copulating (!) in Sanderson (well not right in town, but close). The female was observed poking her head out of a crack….my son, Geoffrey, lifted the rock the female retreated under and I grabbed a light phase alterna ……that also had a dark phase body….it took a second to realize that the dark phase was attached to the tail of the light phase. Temperature was a mild 27 °C, with no breeze….how lucky was that!
One of the best things about visiting Texas is being able to hang out with friends we have made over the past 30 years. We saw people I haven’t seen in many years and it was great being able to openly share stories and animals. As you can imagine, the topic of HB12 permeated many of the conversations …..it is very unfortunate that HB12 got through…hopefully, the sections pertaining to reptile and amphibian collecting will be changed to make it more conducive to herping in the region…..If not, the era of sharing animals, relating tales of the hunt, etc., comes to an end…..many of the people I spoke to will NOT be returning. It is too tempting to break the law, especially if a beauty shows itself on the road or on a cut…..
