Field Notes

• Lava Speck and Tortoise Carcasses

  March 28, 2026 · Mohave Desert

  The main target of the day was, as you may have guessed, the lava speck - a southwestern speckled rattlesnake that has been subject to the selective pressures of the dark lava field and thus has a correspondingly dark pattern. Rock-affiliated as they are, specks do have a tendency toward local variation that roughly matches the rocks in their habitat...

  

• Snake Road with my kids (and a detour)

  October 7, 2025 · Southern Illinois

  Last October, knowing I would be roughly in the neighborhood, I took my kids down to Snake Road. Snake Road is well known for having a ton of cool snakes, many of which migrate between the limestone bluffs that run along the east side of the road, and some swampy areas on the west side, each fall and winter.

  

• Columbia River Gorge, March 2025

  March 3, 2025 · Columbia River Gorge

  When I saw I had a work-related event in the Columbia River Gorge, I decided to make the most of it by tacking on a few days of vacation at either end to explore the area with my family. We were there in early March, which turned out to be a great time to be there.