What the Heck is a Herpetologist Anyway?

[junglekeeping]

A Little About Me

Name: Aarne or Mikki, either is fine. (They/Them)

I wear a lot of hats. I am a conservation biologist, science educator, master herpetologist, botanist, agriculture specialist, and general science geek.

I’m a trans/genderqueer professional

I’m obsessive about frogs and toads, house plants, gardening, as well as the history of the relationship between humans and animals and humans and the natural world.

My dream is to start a non-profit somehow that mixes my passion for science education, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates with my love of rock and metal music.

I have a few pets and a TON of house and garden plants, and work with a lot of animals in both captivity and the wild. You’ll see pictures of them.

Aside from science, I adore rock and metal music, going to concerts, painting, journaling, hiking, travel, fashion, and a bunch of other things. 

Feel free to send asks, the box is open. I am happy to try and help with animal and plant identification. However, I am in North America and I am most familiar with the flora and fauna of North America. That being said, I will be happy to take a gander at things from other places too. 

[personal-shit-for-meee]

Prep your plants for winter

[junglekeeping]

[junglekeeping]

[junglekeeping]

[bogleech]

[madmaudlingoes]

It’s not just that the leaves will break down on their own (and enrich the soil while they’re at it!). During the winter, all sorts of insects use leaf litter for shelter, and they’re the first food available to larvae in early spring. Leaves also insulate the plants under them during the winter, which is important if you’re in an area prone to frost heaving.

One of the best thing you can do for native pollinators in your area is Leave the Leaves!

[diggingforkuponuts]

My mom stopped raking her leaves when she found out about this but her neighbor used his leaf blower to clear out her yard the first year she decided to try. So she started posting a Leave the Leaves sign in the yard each year with an explanation about why it’s good and two winters later only one house still rakes their lawn each year.

We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the biodiversity in the neighborhood since. We have birds that we haven’t seen since we moved into the city from living rurally and those birds are starting to nest in the trees and gardens in spring. The swallows and bats are back at night. The single woodpecker we would only occasionally see visits daily and even has a friend that has joined it. We have more squirrels and rabbits and shockingly fewer moles and voles. We heard an owl outside last fall.

Leave the leaves indeed.

[junglekeeping]

[junglekeeping]

[e-rose]

[onlytiktoks]

[junglekeeping]

[junglekeeping]

[junglekeeping]

This is how I feel on my days off.

[junglekeeping]

This is the kind of death glare humans wish they could achieve.

[junglekeeping]

[junglekeeping]

[junglekeeping]

One of the best pictures I have ever taken... Toads are literally the resting bitch face meme. I have proof.