This is a subspecies of the southern cricket frog, the coastal plains cricket frog, Acris gryllus gryllus. In this neck of the woods, they're pretty much everywhere. A thick population density in my neighborhood and in Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area.

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com

In south Georgia we have the bronze frog, Lithobates clamitans clamitans -- the type/subspecies of Lithobates clamitans (the green frog). I'm not too familiar with subspecies status of this genus/species, so I'm tagging this as the general green frog. They're firmly established in Grand Bay WMA. This individual was found hiding in a root hole.

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com

Our resident green tree frog: this individual has staked a claim on the back corner of our house. By day, the frog hangs out under the roof's edge. By night? It's dinner time on the back patio. A beautiful frog housemate.

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com

Lithobates clamitans clamitans is locally known as the bronze frog, not the green frog. And for good reason: they're bronze, not green. I've seen a decent number of these at Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area northeast of Valdosta.

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com

The cricket frogs are out and about here in Valdosta, Georgia. I saw a few scampering about in Grand Bay WMA just northeast of town earlier this afternoon. Spring is in the air. This is, I believe, the Coastal Plains cricket frog subspecies, Acris gryllus gryllus.

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com

I've been finding plenty of these centipedes, Scolopocryptops sexspinosus, in and around Valdosta, Georgia since moving here. They're extremely abundant in this area (though, I suppose they're extremely abundant throughout most of the south -- at least).

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com

With thanks to Kueda, it looks like this is some species of genus Parmotrema. They're related to lichen, but not actually lichen (lichen is a genus, not a family).

I done learned somethin' new, y'all!

Kudos to Kueda. Again!

Any fungi experts care to try to whittle this identification down closer to the species level?

Photographed in south Georgia on 28 February 2012.

~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.

This is a southern watersnake, Nerodia fasciata fasciata, photographed at Grand Bay WMA in south Georgia on 28 February 2012. After a week of cold temperatures and lots of rain, the watersnake was basking on a clump of dead dead limbs between a dirt road and a canal-channel. The snake was quite thin and in dire need of a good meal. Still, quite responsive and alert. Just a little slower than the Nerodias typically are.

~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.

I picked up a dip net and am starting to explore what's beneath the water's surface in south Georgia and Florida. This is new territory for me, as evidenced by the innumerable invertebrates and arthropods I found -- organisms I don't know and can't identify. Hoping to get some feedback and advice on iNaturalist!

Update: Judging from the comments, it sounds like this is a dragonfly nymph! Thanks for the tips, Masters O' Identification!

~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.

This is a rather large tadpole found in Grand Bay WMA in southern Georgia. Given the density of bronze frogs in the area (Lithobates clamitans clamitans) and after contrasting bullfrog tadpole imaging with this species online, I'm fairly confident this is, in fact, a bronze frog tadpole. Size is right, description is right, and the range is right.

At Grand Bay, bronze frogs (as they're called here) are quite abundant. Good to see a tadpole phase at last.

~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.

If I had a nickel for every fishing spider I came across today... well, I could almost buy a half a coke at disney world. They were quite abundant in Grand Bay WMA in south Georgia today. Quite abundant indeed.

I thin,

~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.

I haven't been much of a fish guy in my life to date. I know the bigger ones -- the ones you like to eat... But the little'uns? No clue. Hoping to turn that around and learn a thing or two. So, having said that, any idea what this tiny little bugger may be? It was snagged at Grand Bay WMA in south Georgia (with a small dip net). The fish is, of course, very, very small. Also very lovely. (And yes, the fish was returned safely to the water... it wasn't quite a keeper...)

~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.

There is no shortage of Coastal Plains cricket frogs (Acris g. gryllus) in south Georgia. I see them damn near every time I visit Grand Bay WMA outside of Valdosta. At least when it's not freezing... I also see them often enough in my backyard. Water or no water, they seem to always be around.

~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.

Most certainly a member of Belostomatidae, but I'm not sure if the genus is Abedus or Lethocerus. I'd thought with an earlier individual in the same area it was Lethocerus (at the prompting of a friend), but now I'm wondering if these aren't Abedus...? Any ideas?

Update: The folks over at bugguide.net believe this is Belostoma lutarium. I'm not one to disagree with the folks at bugguide.net.

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com

Time to start working on the south Georgia turtle identifications... (Identotron, I'm looking at you, kid.)

Judging from Tom Spinker's excellent description and identifications of similar turtles in this immediate area (over on Flickr), this should be a juvenile yellow belly slider, Trachemys scripta scripta. Lots of these turtles line the entrance canal to Grand Bay from Knight Academy Road.

Confirmation or correction would be appreciated!

~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com