ALT An eastern mud turtle on a sand road in the Pinelands

ALT A five-lined skink on a tree in the Pinelands. It has blue lines on its tail

ALT An eastern fence lizard climbing a tree in the Pinelands.

ALT Listed as a threatened species in New Jersey, the northern pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus) is a robust reptile that can grow to over 6 feet in length. Aptly named, pituophis translates to pine serpent and melanoleucus means black and white. Although this gentle giant is a non-venomous constrictor, when feeling threatened, pine snakes will often inflate their body and hiss loudly, vibrate their epiglottis and tail, and strike at the perceived predator. They prey upon a variety of small mammals and, since they are strong climbers, also eat birds and bird eggs.

ALT New photos of a snowy egret catching fish at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in the Pinelands National Reserve. Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) are smaller than great egrets and have a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. “While they may employ a sit-and-wait technique to capture their food, sometimes they are much more animated, running back and forth through the water with their wings spread, chasing their prey,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

ALT New photos of a snowy egret catching fish at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in the Pinelands National Reserve. Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) are smaller than great egrets and have a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. “While they may employ a sit-and-wait technique to capture their food, sometimes they are much more animated, running back and forth through the water with their wings spread, chasing their prey,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

ALT New photos of a snowy egret catching fish at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in the Pinelands National Reserve. Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) are smaller than great egrets and have a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. “While they may employ a sit-and-wait technique to capture their food, sometimes they are much more animated, running back and forth through the water with their wings spread, chasing their prey,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

ALT New photos of a snowy egret catching fish at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in the Pinelands National Reserve. Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) are smaller than great egrets and have a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. “While they may employ a sit-and-wait technique to capture their food, sometimes they are much more animated, running back and forth through the water with their wings spread, chasing their prey,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

ALT Also known as Indian Pipe, the ghost pipe plant (Monotropa uniflora L.) is a native wildflower found in most of the United States. It ranges in height from 10 to 30 centimeters, and is a “translucent, ‘ghostly’ white, sometimes pale pinkish-white and commonly has black flecks,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “This unusual plant has no chlorophyll,” according to NC State Extension. “It obtains its nutrients by tapping into the resources of trees, indirectly through mycorrhizal fungi (i.e., it is mycoheterotrophic). Because they do not need any sunlight, they can live in very dark sites such as the floor of deep forests.”

ALT Also known as Indian Pipe, the ghost pipe plant (Monotropa uniflora L.) is a native wildflower found in most of the United States. It ranges in height from 10 to 30 centimeters, and is a “translucent, ‘ghostly’ white, sometimes pale pinkish-white and commonly has black flecks,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “This unusual plant has no chlorophyll,” according to NC State Extension. “It obtains its nutrients by tapping into the resources of trees, indirectly through mycorrhizal fungi (i.e., it is mycoheterotrophic). Because they do not need any sunlight, they can live in very dark sites such as the floor of deep forests.”