I’m excited to be launching AMPHIBIPALOOZA 2012 this summer, which is a phrase I made up to describe my latest expression of love for amphibians. I’ve received a generous grant from my employer, Houghton College, supporting a science communication project about amphibians I’m working on with my friend and collaborator Steven David Johnson. Most of the work this summer (let’s go ahead and put “work” in quotes, because I love it so much) will be building a photographic database of frogs, toads, and salamanders.

Though the local area around my home has many places for amphibian photography, I’ll be doing some traveling as well. Coming up soon is a trip to South Carolina, a regional hotbed of herpetological diversity. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be blogging about the experience of trekking into the Francis Marion National Forest and exploring muggy country roads on rainy froggy nights. Periodically over the summer I’ll take other trips to other regions. I’m really looking forward to exploring the world of these creatures that interest me with my camera.