Nick's Neature

Nick's Neature Nature is just so Neat! Hit that follow button to keep up with all my adventures!

From Reptile and Fish keeping at my home, to Fishing to Herping in the wilderness, and even some Overlanding adventures all over the country, exploring never gets boring.

07/13/2026

Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) found over the Fourth of July in San Diego county…

It was my lifer ruber, and it’s safe to say I was pretty stoked about it!

This encounter was a great example of persistence and a scientific approach to herping paying off: I’ve spent hours hiking the trails where I found this snake, and I’ve actually found other snakes in this den before, but never a Crote…

Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts and keep checking the spots that you feel will be productive!

(This snake was observed and photographed legally, in accordance to state regulations and ethically, using careful consideration of how human contact can effect this species. Feds don’t come at me.)

06/28/2026

I found this large female Florida Softshell turtle trying to cross the road in Jupiter, Florida!

As you can see, she wasn’t too happy about me trying to usher her off the roadway…

Unfortunately for these super neat turtles, road fatalities are common. Distracted drivers either don’t care or just don’t see these animals when they are crossing the road or occasionally stopped basking in the roadway… and I’m sure you can guess who wins the battle between vehicle and turtle…

Fortunately for this individual, I found her and helped her across the road before anything unfortunate accidents could take place!

If you want to see some more pictures of this animal, check out my latest post!

A Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox)These super common turtles are some of my favorites in Florida! Not just becau...
06/28/2026

A Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox)

These super common turtles are some of my favorites in Florida! Not just because of their super neat, alien-like appearance, but also because of their carnivorous, predatory as well as how defensive they can be!

In all my time of catching turtles, I’ve been bitten the most frequently by softshells! Their super long neck and lightning fast strike reminds me a snake, and while they’re not venomous, it’s still not a bite you want to experience!

And this large female certainly would’ve bitten me if I’d given her the chance! Despite my care to stop and gently help her out of the road, I was only met with anger, hissing, and scratches on my hands and arms from a very unhappy turtle.

Hopefully I can make it back to Florida soon… I don’t road cruise many turtles while I’m out west!

06/25/2026

Urban Wildlife Rescue:
American Kestrel Part 3 (this is a series! If you missed parts 1 and 2, go watch to get caught up!)

After spending some time trying to cool this little Kestrel off and offering it some water, I came to the conclusion that I had done everything in my ability to help this animal, but it needed expert care…

I took her to my friends at where they’ll be able to provide much more comprehensive care than anything I would have been able to provide!

While I was a little bummed that i’ll never know exactly what happened to the little gal or how her recovery is going, I know she’s getting the best care possible at Liberty Wildlife! She now has the best chance possible to make a full recovery and be released back out into Phoenix to hopefully continue contributing to our super neat assortment of urban wildlife in the city!

This was the final part of this series, so if you enjoyed watching, please give my page a follow to see more neat animal rescues like this one!

06/24/2026

Urban Wildlife Rescue: American Kestrel Part 2 (this is a series! If you missed part 1, go watch how I found this little gal!)

After picking up this little gal from one my fellow animal loving neighbors, my main focus was getting her inside to cool down and hopefully drink some water.

While I managed to achieve both those goals, with the water really seeming to breathe life back into her, something still wasn’t right…

I’m no bird expert, and I had done everything that was within the realm of my knowledge and ability, so I made the decision to take this little gal to my friends for further care.

Part 3 coming soon, so make sure you’re following so you don’t miss out on updates on this little guy!

06/23/2026

Urban Wildlife Rescue: American Kestrel Part 1 (this will be a series)

One of my fellow animal loving neighbors found this little Kestrel under a car in their driveway!

It was acting strange and seemed like it might be injured, so my neighbor texted me to see if I could help.

While I’m no bird expert, I used my common sense, got the bird out of the heat, offered it some water, and then brought it to my friends who are much more knowledgeable and equipped than I am to give this little guy the care that he needs to get back to full strength and continue contributing to the super neat urban wildlife we have around Phoenix!

Part 2 coming soon, so make sure you’re following so you don’t miss out on updates on this little guy!

06/19/2026

I guess you could say I had a pretty good time in Utah…

I see why people say it’s the most beautiful state in the country; my entire camera roll is full of many more pictures and videos just like these!

Everywhere we went, the campsites got even cooler, the wildlife got even neater, and the views got even more epic!

Can’t wait to share more from this trip. Full vlog coming soon, so make sure you’re following so you don’t miss it!

A Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea) found in Big Cypress during my most recent trip to Florida. Found right next to our...
06/17/2026

A Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea) found in Big Cypress during my most recent trip to Florida.

Found right next to our campsite by complete coincidence, I shined this little guy while heading out for our first herping walk of the night.

At first, I definitely thought this was a much more uncommon Scarlet Kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) but a coccinea is still a pretty neat find!

These fossorial snakes look very similar to a Scarlet Kingsnake, but can be distinguished by distinct pattern variations as well as a white belly.

While definitely not the rarest snake in Florida, and certainly not a target for this trip, it was still at welcome find nonetheless!

After a short photo sesh and a healthy amount of admiration, this beautiful snake was released back under the rock it was found next to.

06/12/2026

Herping can be hard…

When you lose an animal, sometimes you just gotta take the L and keep hiking…

Don’t worry, there will always be more “ones that got away” to kick yourself over!

Just gotta keep going though, there’s always something else to find out there!

(I guess I make memes now?)

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