Nicole Barys
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tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Nicole Barys
@tarichatgirl.bsky.social
150 followers 68 following 110 posts
Wildland fire practitioner - SRB(t)🔥
Herper and naturalist🐍🌲
Ecologist🌎
She/her 🏳️‍⚧️
MDNI 🔞
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tarichatgirl.bsky.social
In-situ of the smallest little rough skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) that was seen crawling over rocks on the banks of a creek.

#herps #naturephotography #fieldherping #wildlife #amphibians
A baby rough skinned newt is crawling over wet rocks along the bank of a creek. Fallen orange and brown big leaf maple leaves are scattered around.
October 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A while since I last posted. Life's been crazy and I've been working to figure a lot of things out, as any well adjusted person might imagine. I got out the other day for some non-work herping and found a beautiful adult Salish garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii).

#herps
An adult Salish garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii) sits coiled, facing photo left. Red dots can be seen running along the snake, indicative of the regions interbreeding with Oregon red spotted garters and valley garters, as you move south away from the Salish Sea / Nisqually land.
October 24, 2025 at 12:28 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A great basin gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) found in the Alvord Desert.

#herps #fieldherping #naturephotography
A great basin gopher snake sits coiled at the base of a small tree.
July 20, 2025 at 2:21 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A desert short horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) from southeastern Oregon a few weeks ago, sitting and sunning on a rock.

#herps #fieldherping #naturephotography
A desert short horned lizard sitting in the sun, on a rock.
July 7, 2025 at 12:37 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Tahoma, as seen from an alpine lake, last summer.

#naturephotography #outdoors
Tahoma, otherwise known as Mount Rainier, rises above the Douglas Firs growing around an alpine lake
July 6, 2025 at 12:00 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Another great basin collard lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores) from a few weeks ago, this time found basking atop a rock in the Alvord Desert in southern Oregon.

#herps #fieldherping #naturephotography
A collard lizard sits atop a rock, catching some morning sunshine.
July 5, 2025 at 11:44 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) found alongside a road in the Alvord Desert the other week.

#herps #fieldherping #naturephotography
A female long-nosed leopard lizard with orange spots along her otherwise tan and yellow body, sits on a bed of desert sand.
July 4, 2025 at 11:38 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A ground snake (Sonora semiannulata) flipped in the evening down in northern Nevada.

#herps #fieldherping #naturephotography
A ground snake sits loosely coiled on a granite rock. Orange spots and black bands cover the length of the back.
June 30, 2025 at 2:27 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A great basin gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) sheltering from predators under the shade of a creosote bush, somewhere in the Blackrock Desert.

#herps #fieldherping #naturephotography
A great basin gopher snake sits coiled in the shade of creosote bush
June 29, 2025 at 2:52 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A great basin collard lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores) defends their rock from a big nasty human. This lizard was flipped under a rock while looking for ground snakes

#herps #fieldherping #naturephotography
A great basin collard lizard sits atop a rock, mouth agape, ready to lunge at the herper taking photos of them.
June 28, 2025 at 10:53 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Milkshakes and gopher snakes with @wildwallacephoto.bsky.social in the Alvord Desert earlier this week
June 28, 2025 at 4:12 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A young north pacific rattlesnake found in the wake of birthing/hatching season in eastern Washington. Despite colder than average temperatures, there was a huge movement event with baby rattlesnakes and gopher snakes, about a month ago, in a rather concentrated area.

#herps
A baby north pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) sits coiled on some sand and rocks. The purpleish tongue is flicking out of the snake's mouth.
June 26, 2025 at 1:56 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Another Northwestern garter snake, this time extremely orange

#herps #naturephotography
A bright vibrant orange garter snake sits coiled on a big leaf maple leaf, with its neck extended.
June 26, 2025 at 1:50 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Sky is gay. If you go outside you'll turn gay. Good luck homophobes, you'll need it. Happy pride month.

#pride
A rainbow ring encircles the sun from beneat the sun in frame. Smoke fades out the sky to a pale blue smokey color. Douglas fir and pine trees reach towards the sky from the bottom of frame.
June 12, 2025 at 2:43 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
In opposition to the blue Nisqually garters last week, lately I've been seeing a large amount of the most striking orange Northwestern garter snakes (Thamnophis ordinoides)

#herps #snakes #naturephotography #wildlife #nature #reptiles #fieldherping
A Northwestern garter snake sits loosely coiled facing left. The snake is a dark orange with black cheering on its body with a single yellow line running down the middle of the back. The cheeks of the snake are a brighter shade of orange but still with darker earthen undertones. An orangey-brown Northwestern garter snake sits coiled facing right. The snake has a singular bold and bright orange stripe running the middle of the back. The snake's head is olive brown, with darker yellow lips and an orange coppery sclera and a bright coppery iris. A Northwestern garter snake sits coiled, facing towards the camera and right of frame. The snake has a bold orange stripe down the middle of its sleak glossy black dorsal side. The sides of the snake are lined with a glossy creamy yellow stripe on each side of the snake. The snake has creamy yellow lips and a dark olive brown head. The head of the snake is peppered with orange spots that give the appearance of freckles. The entire snake is a glossy shiny color because it had just finished shedding.
May 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
The big beautiful blue Nisqually garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii) have been out in droves lately in the south salish lowlands.

#herps #herping #wildlife #nature #naturephotography
A large female Nisqually garter snake with sits coiled on a bed of brown reed canary grass, an invasive weed. The snake has a black dorsum, turquoise stripes running down it's sides, a blue belly, and a faint olive stripe running down the middle of her dorsum. She has blue labial scales, and a white chin. A medium sized blue Nisqually garter snake sits coiled on brown reed canary grass. The snake has a black dorsum, and bright blue sides with a bright blue stripe running down the middle of the back. The snake has blue labial scales and blue coloring extending up until the ocular and rostral areas of the snake's head. A large female Nisqually garter snake sits coiled on a bed of yellow sphagnum moss. Her dorsum is black, with olive stripes running down her back and sides. Her belly scales are blue, with blue labial scales and a white chin. Her pink tongue with a black tip is flicking out of her mouth.
May 25, 2025 at 6:40 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A great day of tidepooling earlier this week with 6 east Pacific red octopuses (Octopus rubescens). I also learned that, at least this species, will hunt tide pools at low tide, moving between pools in search of prey.

#tidepool #nature #wildlife #pnw #naturephotography
A red east Pacific red octopus sits in a shallow tidepool surrounded by sediment and rocks. Off to the left, some kelp can be seen laying on rocks out of the water. One front and one back leg are gone, likely lost to seagulls or seals that were preying upon other octopuses. A small reddish brown east Pacific red octopus is sitting with tentacles stretched out, in a shallow tidepool up against a conglomeration of rocks. The upper half of the octopus is out of the water. A large east Pacific red octopus is crawling over small rocks with a shallow seep of receding tidal water flowing underneath. Most of the octopus is above water, as it makes its way between tidepools in search of prey. The tentacles are all swept behind it pointing in one direction.
May 1, 2025 at 3:50 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A larval coastal giant salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) found swimming in the slower flowing waters of a creek bank.

#herps #nature #wildlife #salamander #amphibian
A top down view of a larval coastal giant salamander swimming. The salamander has a broad head with small brownish red bushy gills floating in the water, at the base of the head, just before the neck. Two small silvery eyes sit on the upper sides of the head, both visible from above. The salamander is a brown color with brown-yellow mottling and reticulation all over the body. The salamander has a paddle shaped tail with a long flowy fin-like edge, running the length of the top of the tail It has four legs resting on the bottom of the water column, as it crawls and swims over small rocks and silt. The rocks are a variety of warm and neutral colors including reds, yellows, grays, and browns. Small green leaves from nearby plants are floating on the water, as well as a single brown stick resting on two larger gray rocks that protrude above the water.
April 29, 2025 at 4:27 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A young western yellow belly racer (Coluber constrictor mormon) found at the northern end of their distribution west of the Cascade mountains, in the PNW.

#herps #naturephotography #fieldherpphotography
A western yellow belly racer sits in a loose coil, facing to the right of the frame. The snake has a yellow belly that shifts to greenish turquoise on the lower sides that fades to a golden tan on the dorsal side of the snake. This color pattern runs the length of the body. The snake's lips are a cream color, with a golden tan head. The eyes are large, with golden iris. The snake sits on a bed of oak and cottonwood leaves, with bright green grass from the rainy season growing all around it. Sunlight casts down from above, illuminating the snake and surrounding ground.
April 28, 2025 at 1:51 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A Northwestern ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus occidentalis) from the other day, flipped under a rock.

#herps #naturephotography
A Northwestern ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus occidentalis) sits loosely coiled on a bed of light yellow-green moss, facing to the right of the frame. The snake's body is a light gray color on the dorsal and upper lateral sides. The snake's belly is orange for most of it, fading to red on the bottom third of the snake. The color comes up onto the lower lateral sides of the snake. Extending upward from the orange belly, an orange ring encircles the snake's neck, for which snakes of this group of snakes are named.
April 19, 2025 at 3:22 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
I got out to do some snake herping yesterday with @wildwallacephoto.bsky.social

A beautiful Pacific gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer) in front of a blooming Lomatium sp.

#herps #snakes #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #fieldherping
A Pacific gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer) sits facing to the right of the image, coiled on a basalt boulder in front of a blooming Lomatium. The snake is a bold mixture of warm earthen colors. The background of the snake is a tan-brown, gradually shifting to a subtle orange on the lower body and tail. The body has a row of brown blotches running along the dorsal side of the snake, a row running laterally on each side of the snake, and a small row of blotches running along the upper flanks of the snake on each side, separating the dorsal and side rows. The snake has a brown mask through the eye, running from in front of the eyes to the corner of the snake's mouth. A secondary mask is running straight down from the eye, to the snake's labial scales. The snake's labial scales, and what small bits can be seen of the ventral scales, are a pale creamy yellow. The basalt boulder is a dark gray, splattered with splashes of yellow and pale gray lichens. The Lomatium is a lush green, thanks to plenty of recent rain. The blooms on the Lomatium are a bright yellow. In the background, the sky is a bright blue with white wisps of clouds.
April 16, 2025 at 4:15 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Another side by side, but can you see what's different? This time it is a blue-green phenotype Northwestern garter snakes (Thamnophis ordinoides), on top, compared with a Nisqually garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii), on the bottom.

#herps #fieldherping #snakes #wildlifephotography
Two snakes sit coiled together. One snake is a Northwestern garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides) and the other is a Nisqually garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii). The two snake species may look identical to the untrained eye, especially when not right next to eachother like this. Both snakes have a black base color with a pale blue-green stripe running along the spine, and two more with one running along each side of the snakes' bodies. They both have pale blue-green throats and labial scales. That is where similarities end. The Northwestern garter snake has a head that is comparatively small against its body size, being narrower than the snake's midsection. The labial scales are also not separated by black bars, and have a "clean" uniform look. The head of the Nisqually garter snake is much larger compared to the body size, and is as wide as the snake's midsection. The labial scales also have black bars separating the labial scales, almost giving the look of "teeth". The pale color of the snake's throat and labial scales also extend onto the face, at the lower half of the ocular scales.
March 28, 2025 at 1:08 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Two Northwestern garter snakes (Thamnophis ordinoides) that were next to my work truck yesterday. One of the blue-green phenotype and one of the single orange stripe phenotype.

#herps #fieldherping #snakes #wildlifephotography
Two Northwestern garter snakes (Thamnophis ordinoides) sitting coiled together. Both snakes are facing to the left. The bottom/left of the two has a black base color with a pale blue-green stripe along the spine and two pale blue-green stripes down the side of the snake, with little flecks of pale blue-green scattered throughout the black base color. The top/right of the two has a black base color with a pale orange stripe running down the spine, with two pale blue-green stripes running the length of the snake's sides and no color flecks scattered through the black base color. Both snakes have pale blue-green throats and labial scales, and black tops of their heads, with a pale blue-green spot centered on the head of each snake. The two snakes are sitting on a substrate of green grass, with gray-brown grass beneath the green.
March 27, 2025 at 4:09 PM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
Today I saw, at work, what is easily a contender for the top two bluest Nisqually garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii) I've seen. I'd have to have the two snakes side by side in the same lighting to judge them evenly.

#herps #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #outdoors
A Nisqually garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii) sits coiled, facing the left. The snake has a very dark gray to black base color with bold blue stripes running the length of the snake's body along its spine and sides. The labial scales on the cheeks, the throat scales, and the lower half of the ocular scales. The top of the snake's head is the same dark gray to black as the rest of the snake's base color. The scales of the snake are keeled on the body and smooth on the head and ventral (belly) side of the body. The snake is sitting on a bed of brown ponderosa pine straw, with fresh green shoots of the Camas plant coming up behind it, along with a green elliptical shaped leaf of another plant species. In the immediate foreground of the snake rests an oak leaf that is a mixture of shades of brown and orange. Sun beams down from above, illuminating the snake and surrounding substrate and vegetation.
March 27, 2025 at 12:26 AM
tarichatgirl.bsky.social
A western redback salamander (Plethodon vehiculum) at work last Tuesday. My 5th and final species of salamander to see, that's been documented where I work.

#herps #naturephotography #wildlifephotography
A western redback salamander sits on brown woody debris, half coiled in a crescent shape, facing towards the right. The salamander has an orange back with an indented line running down the spine. The orange background is bordered by black lines with very uneven edges. The salamander's aside is a brown color peppered with white speckles. The eyes a raised slightly from the rest of the head. Two parotoid glands are are the base of the head close to the neck, extending forward to the eyes. The pupils are black, with a golden iris surrounding them.
March 18, 2025 at 12:47 AM