It's been pretty dry around here, thank God for Daniel & Tim's post. I'll try and keep some good things rolling.
Over the years I've been working with a colony of locality multistrata from Stillwater co. MT that I'd like to share with you all. Some of you will remember some of these multisrata, but a few haven't been seen before.
Stillwater co. is unique place in the fact that it sit's between the Beartooth Mountains and the rolling prairies, and coulees of the open Plains. The Yellowstone River runs through some of the best looking multistrata habitat we have to offer, arguably.
Some great multistrata have come from a friends ranch and this is the gate to some of the rock flipping that has worn us out on many days.
These are great looking rocks that are sealed in to the ground, and when you lift them its like breaking the seal on a mason jar.
Some are not as big but will still require a claw hammer to lift them. This one produced the nice male below.
This would be another view from the ranch, with the Beartooth Mountains in the background, and multistrata habitat in the foreground.
Before we leave this property here are a few other Pales found under it's rocks.
We move to another locality within Stillwater co. to a spot near the Yellowstone River, and why I wanted to do this post.
This is a very hard spot to hunt for Pales because the rocks are big, and on steep hillsides. As you can see by the drop off to the river.
Here is the jewel found just over the hill in the photo.
She was gravid and laid a nice clutch of neonates.
It took me a bit of work to get them all started on small pinks, many mouse tails were forced down some of them, sh!t was thrown, hands were bitten, and after many weeks all started taking full frozen/thawed pinks on their own.
After working with this clutch for over two years they are really starting to look like they are all going to be stellar animals. Cole and I are really excited about all the Stillwater animals we find because they all can rival the look of a nice Cherry co., Nebraska animal. But this clutch I can't say enough about. I'll let you all be the judge.
I'll end on this male thats not from the above clutch. I like how his saddles decrease in size as they go down dorsally to the tip of his tail.
Thanks for looking. -Dell
Actually I feel very honored that they would take the time and money to come here and herp w/ us. After they see how many cigars we smoke, and how much beer we drink I'll be surprised they ever come back.
