Found my first wild herp of the year today, it was an eastern water snake. he was a very small baby making his way through a very tiny creek near my house. i've seen many of these snakes here before, but this one was extra pretty (probably bc it was so young). usually as they mature, their pattern disappears into a brownish-reddish color. in any case, still beautiful. best part is, i wasn't trying to find this guy. i was merely taking a shortcut through the woods with my dog. i followed him down the creek for about 15 minutes, watching him swim gracefully until he decided it was time to disappear. next week i plan to go to a few of my golden spots, see if i can't stir me up some reptiles. i'll be sure to bring the camera along...