Searching for Pigmies
I’ve always heard that the rainforest is not as dense within its boundaries as it is on the edges where vegetation receives more sunlight. We were able to witness this recently when we accompanied Dr. Terry Farrell (biology professor at Stetson University) and two graduate…
Naming the New Guy
“I’ve thought of a name for the new snake,” I told Chuck a week before we even went looking for a western hognose to replace Roggen who died a couple months ago. “How about ‘Encore’?” The look on Chuck’s face answered my question. We’d have…
From the Wild
When a friend called to tell me his granddaughter had acquired a pet garter snake and asked how she could feed it, I wondered how long this young girl would remain interested in such a pet. I also wondered how I felt about removing an…
Warning Signs
Most people flee when they spot a sign warning of rattlesnakes in the area. On the other hand, a good number of people completely disregard signs warning of bears, bison, moose, elk, or any other charismatic animal, approaching too closely to an animal and possibly…
Condolences for Roggen
We wish to thank everyone for your kind comments and condolences on the loss of our western hognose snake, Roggen. We have heard from friends and even a few strangers by email, in person, by phone, via Facebook, and by comments on our blog. Since…
R.I.P. Roggen
We cried when our dog died over 30 years ago. We cried when our cat died in the mid ’90s. We cried when our hamster and our turtle and our parakeet each died. And only a week after watching our bullsnake Hatch leave with our…
Parting with Hatch
For almost the past ten years we have traveled with four snakes. One of these snakes, our bullsnake Hatch, turned 10 this August. Chuck hatched her out in an incubator at the Denver Zoo after a pair of bullsnakes at Cherry Creek State Park in…