Fall Herping in the Kankakee Sands 2

Eastern Hognosed Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
September 20th 2014

Species Found:

1. Eastern Hognosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
2. Chicago Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis semifasciatus)
3. Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
4. Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
5. Six Lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata)
6. Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)

Background:

Since Tristan, Noah and I had had so much fun on the last trip, we decided to go herping the very next weekend. We hadn't found nearly all the species that can be found at Kankakee so we made the 3 hour trip once again. This time, we were looking for the Eastern Hognosed Snake in particular. It is not an endangered snake or anything but due to the fact that it lives underground in burrows, it is very elusive and hard to come by. It also does a very elaborate display when it feels threatened, but more on that later. It was a bright and sunny day so we were hoping to find some snakes sunning themselves out in the open.

The Trip:

Tristan had found a spot on Google Earth where there were large wooden boards laying out on a grassy field. We hit that place first and flipped some huge wooden boards and even a door. We found plenty of Bull and Garter shed skins but no live snakes. We also found a few Six Lined Racerunners.

After about an hour of bad luck we got back in the car and went to the same junkyard from last time. That was when our luck turned. We hadn't even been looking for 10 minutes when I heard Tristan shout loudly, "Hog!". Noah and I dropped whatever we were doing and ran to see the snake. Tristan was holding a stocky snake about 2 ft long, coiled on his palm. The Hognosed was a first time species for all 3 of us so we were all keen to get a better look at it. It was a beautiful snake with dull but striking patterns and an upturned nose which gives it its name. It has a scale on the tip of its snout which is hard and used for digging. This particular specimen was a little beaten up. It had open wounds along its sides and on its underbelly. It had probably had an encounter with a predator of some sort, probably a human. When threatened, Hognosed snakes employ a very peculiar strategy. First, they flatten their neck and puff out their bodies to make themselves look more intimidating. If that doesn't work, they roll over, exposing their underside and play dead.

Eastern Hognosed Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Eastern Hognosed Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We wanted to see the its whole performance so we provoked it a little and got it to go through the whole routine for us. As expected, it first opened its mouth and hissed, then it flattened its neck and inflated its body and after that it rolled over and played dead.

Hissing at us: PC Tristan Schramer

Flattening neck and inflating ribs: PC Tristan Schramer

Rolling over and playing dead: PC Tristan Schramer

Going back home: PC Tristan Schramer

We were sad to see the Hognosed disappear back into its rubble pile but we continued on herping. It wasn't long before Noah walked up with a baby Eastern Milk Snake in his hands. It looked like it could have been the same one we had caught the week before but after looking at photos we found that it was a different one. This one was a little smaller and more brightly colored than the last one.

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

I was happy to see another Milk Snake but I was also a little sour as I was now the only one out of the 3 of us who hadn't found a snake. However, that feeling was short lived. Turns out this was just a lucky spot. About 15 minutes later I had caught a 1 ft snake from under a wooden board. All I knew about the snake was that it was non-venomous so I had caught it without hesitation as it tried to slither away when I flipped the board. Tristan identified it as a Chicago Garter Snake, an extremely common snake with no extraordinary features, but it was still a new find at Kankakee. However commonplace everyone thought this snake was, it was still my first catch in the US  so I held it in higher esteem. I noticed that its eyes were neon blue, a sign that it would shed soon. Tristan said that he had seen at least 100 of these before and wasn't as entusiastic about taking pictures. So, these pictures are taken by me, with my phone camera.

Chicago Garter Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Neon blue eyes before it sheds its skin: PC Yatin Kalki

Me with my first American snake catch: PC Yatin Kalki

Chicago Garter Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

At this site we found a few more Racerunners and some Fowler's Toads but no more snakes.

Six Lined Racerunner: PC Tristan Schramer

Six Lined Racerunner: PC Tristan Schramer

Fowler's Toad: PC Tristan Schramer

Next, we were going to a disused railroad track just over the border in Indiana to look for Fox Snakes. On the way, we saw some frogs hopping on the roadside so we stopped to catch them. There was a ditch running all along the road, between the cornfield and the tar. Jumping into that ditch were hundreds of Northern Leopard Frogs. They were really hard to catch in the tall grass but we finally caught a few and took some pictures.

Northern Leopard Frog: PC Tristan Schramer

When we got to the railroad, the sky was getting dark and a storm was rolling in. We figured we had already come all this way, might as well go out and see what we can find, so we started walking along the tracks, flipping old planks. We still hadn't found anything when the rain started. By the time we reached the car, which was 2 miles away, we were soaked to the bone. We endured the 3 hour ride back in our drenched state. Noah wasn't too pleased with the condition of his car seats though.

From this trip, I added 3 more species to my American Herp List, putting my total at 9.