We arrived a bit after noon, and it was sprinkling. The humidity was high, and the black flies were out in force, but that didn't stop us from making our way down the first trail that looked good to us. A few minutes later, we found our first herp
Eastern Worm Snake (Carphophis a. amoenus)
same specimen
That is a lifer for me. After letting the worm snake on its way, we followed the trail..which turned out to be no more than a simple loop through the woods. So, back in the car and onto the next trail. This one was a bit longer, and the habitat looked prime but we saw no sign of herp life. The area looked frequently used by some type of vehicle, as tire tracks were everywhere in the sand. Unfortunately, our next herp find was a crushed Eastern Box Turtle, obviously run over by a careless driver. It was a young turtle, clad in a bright yellow and orange carapace. What a treasure lost.
Coming to the end of the trail, we saw a large lake where people apparently canoe. This day, there was nobody present except us. As we turned around to leave, we were caught in a torrential downpour. I quickly put our cameras in my backpack and we headed back to the car soaking wet. A change of clothes revealed about 5 ticks clinging to my flesh! This is something that slipped our minds. We headed to the nearest Supermarket and picked up some DEET. It actually worked for us the rest of the time.
After the rain stopped, the temp dropped, and we decided to cut our trip short. But before that, we found Carranza road and checked out some of the habitat.
Some soaked Hay Stacks
So, there it is. One live herp in 6 hours. The weather wasn't on our side this day, but we are going back in two weeks. Oh, and before we left...
We found Leatherface's apron.
One thing is for sure. Next time we're not eating at the rest stop's Roy Rogers!
Eastern Worm Snake (Carphophis a. amoenus)
same specimen
That is a lifer for me. After letting the worm snake on its way, we followed the trail..which turned out to be no more than a simple loop through the woods. So, back in the car and onto the next trail. This one was a bit longer, and the habitat looked prime but we saw no sign of herp life. The area looked frequently used by some type of vehicle, as tire tracks were everywhere in the sand. Unfortunately, our next herp find was a crushed Eastern Box Turtle, obviously run over by a careless driver. It was a young turtle, clad in a bright yellow and orange carapace. What a treasure lost.
Coming to the end of the trail, we saw a large lake where people apparently canoe. This day, there was nobody present except us. As we turned around to leave, we were caught in a torrential downpour. I quickly put our cameras in my backpack and we headed back to the car soaking wet. A change of clothes revealed about 5 ticks clinging to my flesh! This is something that slipped our minds. We headed to the nearest Supermarket and picked up some DEET. It actually worked for us the rest of the time.
After the rain stopped, the temp dropped, and we decided to cut our trip short. But before that, we found Carranza road and checked out some of the habitat.
Some soaked Hay Stacks
So, there it is. One live herp in 6 hours. The weather wasn't on our side this day, but we are going back in two weeks. Oh, and before we left...
We found Leatherface's apron.
One thing is for sure. Next time we're not eating at the rest stop's Roy Rogers!
