Favoritos de rangertreaty50

Photographed by City of Lewisville PARD staff Samantha Smith and Lanny Sanders. This is likely an individual which was released on the property by a government official in September 2019, near the location where it was sighted.

The tiniest copperhead! Found in a dried stream bed (by almost stepping on the little thing). This little one was just around 6 inches in length. It was very calm so I was able to take quite a few photos. Then I shoo'd it away from the big, scary human!

I have a strange tale (at least for me) from my birding visit to the Colleyville Nature Center this AM. Was walking through the woods, east of the owl woods (100 yards east of the bridge out of that area maybe), and was startled by something zipping in front of me, 4-5 feet above eye level, and crashing into the shrubs ~15 yards into the woods from the path. Birds don't usually crash so heavily when they land so I stopped to investigate. What I found is, I think, a flying squirrel! My first thought when I started piecing together what I was seeing is someone must have let a pet go? But got on Google on my phone and found there is apparently a "Southern Flying Squirrel" that can be found in our area. I've lived here 30 years and never seen one or heard of anyone seeing one. Maybe someone can elaborate on this or let me know if this has been seen at CNC before? Are flying squirrels kept for pets and maybe that's the explanation? Do I have this all wrong? Needless to say...it wasn't my "normal" visit to CNC today.
After I lost track of it I continued birding for an hour or so and then ambled back through this area. Saw it again but didn't get a photo as it was crawling higher in trees and staying on back side of limbs/trunk.
Sorry pics aren't better...I was just trying to squeeze off shots to figure out what I was seeing.