A Stone, A Snake, And A Few Other Tidbits

[Teegate]

All,

We started out a little later than usual today and headed over to Coyle Field to look for Greenwood Forest monuments. The scrub pines there are quite tough to push through so after not finding anything at the first location we gave up until the winter. Next we headed back to the Atco/Evesham/Medford area where there are a few Wharton parcels I have never visited before. There are a couple stones so we decided to look for one of them. If you live in that area or want to explore new places, you may want to stop in once day and visit. It is pretty nice back there. Some trash, and some disturbance, but a nice place to visit close to home for some people.


Enter here.

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.78898379603456&lng=-74.85925197601318&z=15&type=h&gpx=


Here are the two tracts the state owns. They may own some of the adjacent properties also but I am not sure of that.

We were able to find the stone and the one monument we looked for. I will get to the others some other time.


The well marked stone.

The Green Acres Monument.

We found quite a few Viscid Violet Cort Mushrooms in this area.

However, the highlight of the day was finding a snake in the middle of a road and our attempts to get it into the woods. I flew right over it and made a quick turnaround to try and get back to it before it was run over. Before I could get there at least 4 cars had just missed hitting it. I quickly dragged it to the side and noticed it seemed really sluggish, and we thought it was dying while we were examining it. It was a huge snake!

I was able to get right up to it's head and it did not even stick it's tongue out. Really odd! Anyway, we decided to move it into the woods and Jessica made the decision she would do it. Here is a classic video of her doing just that. Unfortunately, I did not keep the camera straight and hit the off button at the end, so you do not see her landing hard on her boney ass. She was hurting!

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeBLZglW5TY


BTW, it must have been metal detecting day at Atsion. There were almost 50 people roaming the beach. Here are a few.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Nice Black Ratsnake.They are not near as mean as Black Racers generally and are probably the longest snake in nj possibly tieing with Pine snakes both are commonly found up to 6.5 ft with records near 8 ft....If it was just laying on the road it was probably attempting to warm up which if it was cold would explain the slowness or possibly it just ate and was warming to digest it's food better. I notice Jess never tried that move with any of the Rattlers you've found recently I suggest she doesn't
Al

 

[Gibby]

Viscid Violet Cort Mushrooms are edible, but they don't appear appetizing to me. Beautiful coloring on it's cap. It is nice that somebody was out this weekend. I was trying to catch up on yard work and preparing for winter. The rain has me behind schedule like everyone else. I've done the Curley Shuffle, just like Jessica, a few times, but it wasn't caught on video. It was funny. If I get startled like that usually I make it up the closest tree. Looks like you had a fun day.

 

[glowordz]

Interesting pics, Guy -- and Jessica! What kind of snake? Common in Barrens?

The violet mushroom is amazing, and the comment that it's edible is useful to know. I've heard that squirrels eat fungi -- does anyone know whether they'd eat this one?

Thanks y'all!
Glo

 

[Teegate]

Al mentioned in post 2 it is a Black Rat Snake.

 

[bobpbx]

I give Jess a lot of credit for doing that.

 

[Boyd]

I've heard that squirrels eat fungi

I don't know what varieties they like, but recently I watched a squirrel nibble on a big mushroom in my yard and I was laughing out loud.

 

[Gibby]

Interesting pics, Guy -- and Jessica! What kind of snake? Common in Barrens?

The violet mushroom is amazing, and the comment that it's edible is useful to know. I've heard that squirrels eat fungi -- does anyone know whether they'd eat this one?

Thanks y'all!
Glo

The Violet Cort is edible but it looks better than it tastes. It has no distinguished flavor but I have read that they can taste like button mushrooms found in stores. They are similar in appearance to the Cortiarius iodeoides which is inedible.

 

[oji]

I was in the same area today doing some botanizing with some classmates from thePPA plant course. We saw a black rat snake down by Lower Forge. It just stayed motionless while we photographed it and when it got tired of us it climbed up a tree and hung out in the branches around our eye level. After lunch we ran down to Dutchtown and saw the detector party at the beach.

 

[manumuskin]

I don't know about up in the Barrens proper Glo but down at my end Black rats are about as common as you can get,like Garter Snakes,Ringnecks and Water snakes.To me no snakes seem common in the barrens because I see so much less snakes there then I do here.Seems like Rattlers have been doing good this year though Pines can be found down here in certain areas but they do seem to be much more widespread up there.we only have patches of good pine snake habitat left down here though.
Al