Snakes and Stones

Photo #117
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...mufb2ao0qc.jpg
A low expression Orange Dream-66% Het Orange Ghost and some rocks I collected from the Connecticut river. The orange feldspar-granite pictured was tricky to polish.

Side story: I went on a rock hunting expedition by myself this week in an obscure area of New Hampshire.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...tNH_jrncqy.jpg
I found some interesting orange/pink granite.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ite_nt6vmw.jpg
It may not look like much, but, I can tell it will be neat when it is tumbled/polished. It will not look the same as the granite in Photo #117.

Of course, trudging through the dense forest on a dry creek bed...I was planning on wrestling black bears and/or climbing trees to escape rampaging moose infected with brainworms, but, thankfully this guy (shown below) is the most fearsome creature I encountered-this time. :P
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...dit_q1cmdx.jpg
I also found a lot of neat fungi in my journey...as someone with a Biology background...I couldn't resist including at least a few photos. :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...sh1_npkx8v.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...sh2_wxyvzp.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...sh3_aa8ixm.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

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https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...tNH_jrncqy.jpg
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Of course, trudging through the dense forest on a dry creek bed...I was planning on wrestling black bears and/or climbing trees to escape rampaging moose infected with brainworms, but, thankfully this guy (shown below) is the most fearsome creature I encountered-this time. :P
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...dit_q1cmdx.jpg
I also found a lot of neat fungi in my journey...as someone with a Biology background...I couldn't resist including at least a few photos. :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...sh1_npkx8v.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...sh2_wxyvzp.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...sh3_aa8ixm.jpg

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Neat looking area- That you were "planning on wrestling black bears and/or climbing trees to escape rampaging moose infected with brainworms"-? :rofl::rofl::rofl: Glad you got off "easy".

I can sure appreciate the "neat fungi"- reminds me, many years ago on a hike I found what looked like a large pancake (even the color!) that appeared to have flown into the side of a large tree as if thrown hard like a frisbee. No end of interesting things in nature.

I know some breeders consider it a rarity: I've found that split clutches from different male ball pythons are not uncommon.

Time Lapse video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbdKSr3r5aw&t=200s

Photo #118
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...s3bx9whqdw.jpg
Spider Black Pastel with Marcasite carrying Agate. Agates take a high polish and photographing a bunch of odd shaped pieces with inclusions is a bit tricky.
I had to underexpose the photo so you could actually see the stones and not the glare from the camera flash.

Photo #119

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...cglex2n8sb.jpg
A Lesser with some gnarly Brazilian Agate.

Photo #120

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...qrmtweohrc.jpg
Another Het Clown/Pos. Het Lavender Albino and some river rocks from my home area. I suspect the stones with a little red are actually from the mid-west USA.

Fun fact: If I was to intercross my Het Clowns/Pos. Het Lavender Albino offspring my statistical odds of producing a Lavender Albino Clown (Grail) would be:
(1/4 chance of producing Clown)*(1/2 chance of male being Het for Lavender Albino)*(1/4 chance of producing Lavender Albino)*(1/2 chance of female being Het for Lavender Albino)=1/64

Photo #121
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...dkvily8fiq.jpg
My gf walked by as I was uploading this photo and says 'I know those stones, those are from the gardens in the back. They are ugly. Don't you have nicer stones to tumble?'.
Yes, yes, everyone is a critic...:P
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_khzkxc.jpg

Photo #122
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...bxsb91stt6.jpg
Really bright yellow on this Pastel ball python.
If you saw her fused dorsal band segments and guessed Het for Clown: you would be right.

Shown with some Sagenitic Agate.

What is Sagenitic Agate?
Definition of Sagenitic: containing Sagenite (thanks)
Definition of Sagenite: containing similar acicular crystals (...)
Definition of Acicular: chiefly of crystals, needle shaped (ok)
So: Agate that contains similarly shaped needle-like crystals. :)

Photo #123
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...mu3efoqzsy.jpg
Enchi, Rose Quartz, Jade, Yellow Quartz.

Photo #124
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...1ef69qx6cd.jpg
Spider Black Pastel with some clean Chalcedony.
The stones pictured sort of look like glass, and while they are both mainly composed of Silica, unlike glass: chalcedony is composed of microscopic interlocking crystals (which gives it epic durability).
Chalcedony is a broad term that is used for materials that contain microcrystalline quartz. It is one of those terms that says 'Yeah, I sorta know what this is, but, I'm not going to pretend to be specific'. :D
Chalcedony often has material embedded in the matrix. Upcoming photos #126, and #129 are chalcedony with inclusions.

Fun fact: There is a decorative type of glass known as Chalcedony-glass, it was invented in Venice, Italy in the 15th century and used metal additives to the glass to imitate chalcedony colors. It was popular for a few centuries and then the technique was lost/forgotten. Of note: the techniques used to create Chalcedony glass at the time exposed the user to highly toxic chemicals including mercury vapor and arsenic and it would not be unreasonable to assume this is why it was discontinued. The technique of creating Chalcedony glass using a special metallic paste would be re-invented in the late 1800's with 'somewhat' greater care taken in its formulation.