Faces of the Forest is the monthly blog of our Director of Conservation, Kiley Briggs. In his posts, Kiley introduces readers to the reptiles and amphibians found in the northeastern United States, either by profiling a species, or by diving into the intricacies of how species interact with each other and the landscapes they depend on. Reptiles and amphibians are very secretive, and seeing is believing, so Kiley’s goal with his blog is to foster interest in conservation by showing people the wildlife they have in their own neighborhoods.
Animating Landscape-level Movements by Wood Turtles
We attached GPS transmitters to 15 Wood Turtles as part of a project aimed at identifying opportunities to prevent them...
Frog Breeding Frenzies and Misadventures in Mate Selection
Terrestrial frogs breeding in wetlands for brief periods each year often err in mate selection. With limited time to find...
How the Loss of American Chestnuts Impacts Timber Rattlesnakes Today
Analysis on how the loss of American chestnuts impacts Timber Rattlesnakes today.
When Reptiles and Amphibians Roam in Snowy Conditions
On occasion, reptiles and amphibians do roam in snowy conditions. That is often a very bad sign for the animal...
In the Company of Reptilian Minds
Reptiles are far more complex, aware, and intelligent animals than they are traditionally given credit for. In my career working...
Vanishing in the Background: The Unseen Decline of Reptiles and Amphibians
While the 20th century saw the birth of the modern conservation movement and a handful of major success stories, less...
Smooth Greensnakes and Their Fight for Survival
Smooth Greensnakes are masters of camouflage in their natural habitat, but their future is uncertain as they navigate a world...
How Male and Female Wood Turtles Use the Landscape Differently
Male and female Wood Turtles often use the same landscapes very differently. Like many wildlife species, females primarily search for...
Our first few weeks of Wood Turtle surveys in the Hudson-Berkshire region
Getting to the stream proved to be a challenge – dense thickets of thorny shrubs stood between me and the...
Wood Turtles
Despite their bright orange legs, Wood Turtles can be difficult to spot. – Kiley Briggs “I’ve lived here…
Where did the turtle go?
Turtles aren’t known for their speed, but despite that impediment, they sometimes make remarkable journeys over land. This…
What do bullfrogs and other frogs and salamanders eat?
Frogs and salamanders are what’s known as “gape-limited predators”, which is a fancy way of saying the size of their...
Faces of the Forest Archives
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Animating Landscape-level Movements by Wood Turtles
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Frog Breeding Frenzies and Misadventures in Mate Selection
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How the Loss of American Chestnuts Impacts Timber Rattlesnakes Today
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When Reptiles and Amphibians Roam in Snowy Conditions
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In the Company of Reptilian Minds
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Vanishing in the Background: The Unseen Decline of Reptiles and Amphibians
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Smooth Greensnakes and Their Fight for Survival
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How Male and Female Wood Turtles Use the Landscape Differently
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Our first few weeks of Wood Turtle surveys in the Hudson-Berkshire region
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Wood Turtles
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Where did the turtle go?
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What do bullfrogs and other frogs and salamanders eat?
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The Four-toed Salamander
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Mudpuppies: The Winter Salamander
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Making Roads Friendlier to Wildlife
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The Turtle Timescale - Conservation Across Centuries
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The Texas Tortoise
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Baby Turtles
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Rattlesnakes: Reputation vs. Reality
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More than just camouflage: relationships between snake patterns and behaviors.
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Rehab Wood Turtle
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Ring-necked Snakes
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The Wood Turtle Emergence
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Improving Wood Turtle Habitat on Working Lands
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Territoriality in Male Wood Turtles
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Why Wood Turtles Need Clean Water
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On the Personality of "Bruce" the Wood Turtle
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Out of Sight: Why Most People Never See a Wood Turtle
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The Success of Red-eared Sliders Comes at the Expense of Native Turtles
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The Big Four of Turtle Conservation
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Dekay's Brownsnake: One of America's Most Misidentified Snakes
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What is the Difference Between Turtles and Tortoises? Frogs and Toads? Newts and Salamanders?
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Are Snapping Turtles Dangerous?
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The Mystery of Vermont's Box Turtles
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How to Help Turtles Cross Roads
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Species Spotlight: Wood Frogs
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Why Are We Afraid of Snakes and How Do We Overcome That Fear?
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Phantoms of the Forest: The Secretive Nature of Timber Rattlesnakes
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Enduring and Avoiding the Cold - How Reptiles and Amphibians Survive Northern Winters
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Smooth Greensnakes: My Most Abundant White Whale.
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Filling the Void: Public Outreach in the Year of Social Distancing.
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Diamonds in the Rough: Are Populations of Elusive Ribbonsnakes Hiding in Plain Sight?
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On the Longevity of Turtles
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Elusive Wood Turtles
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Why Turtles Cross Roads and How to Help
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On Winter Perseverance of our Cold-blooded Friends
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Trapped Under The Ice: How Wood Turtles Survive the Winter.
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Winter Blizzards Bring Spring Lizards: How to find amphibians during their spring breeding migrations
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What Lies Beneath: Salamanders in the Basement
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Baby Wood Turtles: A 2019 Highlight
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On Snails and Slugs: A Wood Turtle's Perspective
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On Myths and Milksnakes
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Smooth Turtle Leeches
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Varied Habitats Key to Wood Turtle Success
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Tracking Scarce Turtles
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Miranda's Second Chance
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A Declining Species
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Species Spotlight: Eastern Musk Turtle
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Why Do Species Live Where They Do and Not Where They Don't?
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A Gardener's Friend: The Secretive Red-bellied Snake
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Combating Misinformation with Identification Tips and Resources
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How Do Reptiles and Amphibians Survive Snowy Winters?
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The Snake of the North
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Fall Peepers - A Seasonal Aberration
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A How-to on Proper Use of a Field Guide
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Snappers: The myth vs the turtle
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Tripod Turtles
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Woodland clams are a thing!
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Kingdom Mystery: Quest for the Blue-spotted Salamander
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Frog and Salamander Egg Mass Identification in the Northeast
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Porcupines: Bark-eating Beasties of the Northern Woods
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Mink Fogs: The Frog of the North
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Beavers
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Eastern Newts
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Northern Hardwoods of Vermont
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Dispelling the Myth: "Bloodthirsty" Snakes