Fall Herping at the Vermilion River Observatory, Illinois

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
August 28th 2015

Species Found:

1. Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus)
2. Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
3. Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
4. Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
5. Midland Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum)
6. Western Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae elegans)
7. Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
8. Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
9. Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi)

Background:

Tristan and I had been given permission to do herp surveys at the Vermilion River Observatory last Spring, so we decided to go back out there to see what we could find in the Fall. One Friday evening after classes, Sam, Tristan, I and a few non-herpers: Lewin and Elliot, went to the VRO to check the cover objects that we had set out last Spring.

The Trip:

The first thing we did was stop by a large pile of tin that we had checked last Spring. Working together, we started moving the huge sheets of tin, one at a time. A few layers deep, we found 3 Ringneck Snakes. Tristan could only grab 2 as the precision of his fingers was compromised by the gloves he was wearing. The third snake escaped deeper into the tin pile, bit we weren't disappointed as we knew that we would find it eventually. After about 10 minutes, we had gone through the whole

tin pile and we had 8 Ringneck Snakes. In the Spring we had found just one in this pile, so finding so many was a pleasant surprise. While we were putting the tin back into its original position, Lewin spotted a snake moving through the grass and immediately jumped and grabbed it by the tail. For someone who had never caught snakes before, his reflexes were surprisingly good. I helped him pull the snake out of the grass and it turned out to be an Eastern Garter Snake, a common species throughout the region.

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We moved on to the spot where we had found a Blue Racer last time. Sam found a Milk Snake under a piece of wood, which came as a surprise because nobody expected to find that species in this region. Lewin found a Brown Snake under some wood there too but we didn't find that large Blue Racer from last time. We did however find some Blue Racer eggs under a piece of tin in the same area.

Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Next, we went to a patch of woods which had some debris lying around, perfect habitat for many a reptile and amphibian. There, we found a number of American Toads under objects as well as out in the open. In a collapsed shack, I found a Red Back Salamander under a paint can lid. Meanwhile, Tristan ran out of an old broken down trailer saying that there was a raccoon inside hissing at him. I heard the hissing but I didn't think it was a raccoon so I circled around the trailer and looked in through the window at the back. I saw a medium sized animal sitting up on the counter but it definitely was not a raccoon. At first I thought it was a small dog, then a cat, and then it dawned on me that I was looking at a bird. It was a young Turkey Vulture, with its white down feathers still intact. It was the same size as an adult but the colors were nothing like an adult's black plumage. I went into the trailer to get a better look at it and it continued hissing loudly, clicked its beak and jumped off the counter to hide under a table. I managed to get just one crappy photo with my phone before it disappeared from my sight.

Red Back Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Turkey Vulture: PC Yatin Kalki

We continued searching for snakes in the same area. I found another Ringneck but this one had a very different belly pattern from the others we had found. It had 3 rows of black spots instead of just one. Sam found a snake that he thought was another Brown Snake but when Tristan took a look at it, he identified it as a Smooth Earth Snake. We knew that this was definitely a new record for this site but we were unsure of its status in Vermilion County. Later, we found out that the last Smooth Earth documented in the county was back in 1991. We had found the first Vermilion County Smooth Earth in over 20 years!

Unusual Ringneck Belly Pattern: PC Tristan Schramer

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We then took some time to photograph the animals we had seen. A Ringneck we had found was in the process of shedding its skin and we got the whole process in a series of shots. After we had taken detailed photos of our finds, we decided to walk through the woods to see if we could find any other interesting stuff. We found a few Wood Frogs and a Cricket Frog but that was about it.

Ringneck Snake Shedding Skin: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake Shedding Skin: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake Shedding Skin: PC Tristan Schramer

Wood Frog: PC Yatin Kalki

We hadn't seen the Black Rat Snake that we were hoping to find at this site but we did make a lot of very cool finds. This will definitely not be our last trip to the VRO this Fall, so hopefully we find it some time in the future.

Spring Herping in Kankakee, Illinois

Bullsnake: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
May 9th 2015

Species Found:

1. Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor)
2. Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)
3. Eastern American Toad (Anaryxus americanus americanus)
4. Western Slender Glass Lizard (Ophiosaurus attenuatus attenuatus)
5. Bull Snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi)
6. Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
7. Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxii)
8. Six-lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata)

The Trip:

Doug, Tristan, Sam and I drove to Kankakee, where we met Matt, his wife Shannon and their 2 year old daughter. We were going to hit all the spots we hit last Fall and look for the snakes that make Kankakee famous. The first section we saw had a ton of really good boards and cover objects but the rain from the previous night had made the ground wet and unsuitable for snakes.

Snake Habitat: PC Tristan Schramer

The first animal found was a Fowler's Toad found by Doug. We had seen plenty of these the last time we had come too. Next, Tristan found a Gray Tree Frog, another species we had seen a lot of last Fall. A little while later, Doug yelled that he had found a Glass Lizard. We all headed over but he had lost it in the thick grass. Even in the Fall, the Glass Lizard managed to escape, consequently I had never actually seen one up close. Soon, Matt found a Racerunner, yet another species we had encountered many times before.

Six Lined Racerunner: PC Yatin Kalki

We carried on, finding more Fowler's Toads and the odd American Toad, but still no snakes. But that all changed when we hit the next section. Tristan called for help flipping a pile of roof shingles. Matt and I headed over. I started working on the edges while Matt and Tristan went straight for the center. Matt grabbed a large chunk and lifted it off to find a pretty Milksnake pop out. Tristan grabbed it and yelled "Doug! Milk!" Apparently Doug had never seen a Milksnake before, so it was his goal to see one on this trip. Everyone came over and started taking pictures of the timid little snake.

Milksnake: PC Yatin Kalki

Milksnake: PC Tristan Schramer

Milksnake: PC Tristan Schramer

Sam came in for a quick look but continued looking under objects for more snakes. Soon, I heard Sam yelling and I ran over. He had a 4 foot Bullsnake by the tail! I helped him wrangle the snake into a more secure position and we carried it back to where everyone was still photographing the Milksnake. This was Sam's first Bullsnake so he was pretty thrilled. The only Bullsnake I had seen before this, was the small juvenile we had found here in the Fall. That was no match for this encounter. Little did I know that we'd soon be seeing a lot more on the Bullsnake front. Now people were taking turns photographing both snakes.

Bullsnake: PC Yatin Kalki

Bullsnake: PC Yatin Kalki

Bullsnake: PC Tristan Schramer

When Matt was done getting his photos, he pressed on in the same direction that I was headed. It turned out his luck was a lot better than mine because he came back with good sized Blue Racer, while I came back empty handed. We now had 3 of the most iconic snakes of Kankakee right in front of us. I felt kind of bad that I hadn't found anything yet but it was still amazing to see these 3 beautiful snakes all in one place.

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

Blue Racer: PC Tristan Schramer

While Tristan was holding the Blue Racer, it somehow got from his shoulder onto the branch of  a tree. The snake climbed high up into the tree and we knew that it would be impossible to get it down. On that note, we released the other 2 snakes and pressed on. The next stretch had a large sand prairie with piles of debris along the edges. I immediately went for the debris and started looking under everything. But my luck just wasn't very good today, all I found was a White Footed Mouse.

White Footed Mouse: PC Yatin Kalki

Meanwhile on the other side of the prairie, Matt, Sam and Tristan had each found another Milksnake. One was a juvenile and its patterns were a lot more red than the adult's.

Juvenile Milksnake: PC Tristan Schramer

On our way back, Doug and Tristan spotted a few more Glass Lizards in the same place the first one had been seen. Even when we teamed up to try and catch one, it was near impossible. We decided to move to our next spot, a field with plenty of tin and boards to look under. We got there and started searching. Doug, Sam, Tristan and I took one side of the field while Matt and Shannon took the other. Soon, Matt walked over with 2 medium sized Bullsnakes in his blood streaked hands. Apparently he had gotten the worst of a Bullsnake's temper. He told us how he had found both under the same piece of tin. I inspected the snakes and sure enough there was one male and one female. I observed the Bullsnakes for a while and could only think about how I hadn't found anything today. I decided that it was time to turn my luck around so I headed for a pile of metal in the shade of a few trees. It was late enough in the day that the metal in the shade would be the right temperature compared to the metal in the sun, which would be too hot. I flipped a few pieces of tin to find nothing. I then looked under this long metal box but nothing was under it. As I was placing the heavy box back, I heard the faint sound of scales rubbing against metal. The bottom of the box was very rusty and the metal was thin so I took another piece of metal and started tearing through the rusty metal. Soon, I exposed the edge of a Bullsnake's coil! I touched the scales and a loud hiss came out of the box. I kept tearing away at the metal until the snake finally decided to move. I grabbed its tail and slowly pulled it out of the box. It was a 5 footer! This was the biggest snake I had seen in America. I carried this hissing and striking snake across the field towards everyone else. They were all pretty amazed at its size. "That's the biggest Bullsnake I ever saw" said Matt. After the snake had calmed down, everyone took photos of it. I let it slither across the field, observing how its stocky body moved so gracefully. When we were ready to release the snakes, I went back to the metal box and folded the rusty metal back into place. I then let the 5 foot Bullsnake slither back into its shelter.

Bullsnake Striking At Me: PC Doug Mills

Me with the 5 foot Bullsnake: PC Tristan Schramer

Bullsnake: PC Tristan Schramer

Bullsnake: PC Tristan Schramer

On the other side of the field, there were a few more boards to look under. We found a small Blue Racer and a Milksnake.

Blue Racer: PC Tristan Schramer

Milksnake: PC Tristan Schramer

Next, we went to a spot where we had found a Hognosed Snake last Fall. It was a dump yard with plenty of debris to look under. This time, we were surprised to find that a lot of the junk had been cleared away, meaning that our chances of finding snakes had been lowered. I found a juvenile Milksnake under an old jacket and someone found a Racerunner but that was about it for this place.

Juvenile Milksnake: PC Tristan Schramer

Six Lined Racerunner: PC Tristan Schramer

I went home feeling satisfied. I had seen a wide variety of snakes today and each was amazing in its own way. Hopefully next time, we actually catch a Glass Lizard :)

Herping at the Vermilion River Observatory

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
May 8th 2015

Species Found:

1. Eastern American Toad (Anaryxus americanus americanus)
2. Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
3. Smallmouth Salamander (Ambystoma texanum)
4. Northern Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans clamitans)
5. Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
6. Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxii)
7. Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

Background:

Tristan and I had recently become board members of the Wildlife Society - Illinois Student Chapter. I was the Vice President and Tristan was the Undergraduate Representative. This meant that we frequently met one of the advisers for the club, Steve Buck, the Natural Areas Coordinator for the Vermilion River Observatory. He told us that he had a large area of land that was owned by the ECE department but was mostly natural forest area. He said that he had seen snakes on the property but nobody had actually done any surveys. He wanted us to come out to the site with him and document the species we found.

The Trip:

Steve drove us to the VRO, about 30 minutes off campus. He opened the gate and gave us a copy of the key so that we could come back without him. We walked past piles of debris like tin and wooden boards, perfect snake habitat. Since we were on a schedule, we didn't flip any of it. The first herp we found was a small American Toad hopping through the grass. I picked it up and Tristan recorded its GPS coordinates. Steve showed us some pond and vernal pools that he had seen salamanders and frogs breeding in. We saw a few Green Frogs but didn't attempt to catch them. We then passed by a big pile of tin sitting out in the sun by the side of the road. This looked too good not to flip so we started moving the large tin layers. About 5 layers deep, I spotted a small Ringneck Snake curled up at the corner of the tin. I picked it up and showed Steve. He said that Ringneck Snakes had never been found in this area so it was a new record.

Pile of Tin: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Ringneck Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

At the very bottom of the tin pile, we found a Smallmouth Salamanderresting in the moist dirt. These had been well recorded in this area so we just left it alone. We let the Ringneck Snake go after getting some photos. Near the tin pile, there was some more debris that we decided to look under. Tristan found an Eastern Garter Snake under a rusty toolbox but that was about it. After that, we went to an old shed where Steve said that he had frequently seen a resident Black Rat Snake. Neither Tristan nor I had seen a Black Rat Snake so we were quite excited at the prospect of seeing one. We checked inside the shed but didn't find any snakes. Right outside the shed was a pile of debris. We started moving some of that and I saw the tail of a medium sized snake with some patterning on it. I immediately thought Black Rat Snake and pulled it out by the tail. I was surprised to find that it was actually a Blue Racer and the "pattern' I had seen was actually scale damage. It was not a healthy snake, with scale rot in multiple spots and a moderate case of mouth rot. We thought that it might even have Snake Fungal Disease so we took some pictures of the damage to send to herpetologists.

Catching a Blue Racer: PC Tristan Schramer

Blue Racer: PC Tristan Schramer

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

We then visited a cabin that had another shed next to it, where Steve had seen Five-Lined Skinks. I had seen plenty of these in Southern Illinois and Indiana but Tristan had never seen a Skink before. We tried looking for them but couldn't find any. We did, however, find another Ringneck under a piece of bark. Next, Steve took us to a spot where he had seen Redback and Slimy Salamanders. We found the Redbacks fairly easily but didn't find any Slimys. Steve gave us the keys to the cabin and said that we were welcome to stay there overnight when we were doing research. I really look forward to coming back here in the Fall and doing some intense snake surveys.

Spring Herping at Allerton

Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
May 7th 2015

Species Found:

1. Midland Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum)
2. Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus)
3. Western Fox Snake (Pantherophis vulpinus)

The Trip:

In the Fall, we had found 2 Brown Snakes and a Fox Snake at Allerton, while on a field trip with a class. This was surprising because we hadn't even been looking for snakes at that time, they just kinda popped out while we were doing fieldwork. We decided to make a trip out to Allerton to actually look for snakes. One Thursday morning when Sam, Tristan and I didn't have class, we drove out to Allerton. The first place we checked was the prairie. It was a large tract of land which had native prairie vegetation. About half of the prairie had been recently burned and the new green growth was flourishing all around. The other half still had long dry prairie grass and scattered thorn bushes. We walked through the prairie in parallel transects to maximize our chances off seeing snakes.

Prairie: PC Tristan Schramer

Historically, Massasauga Rattlesnakes had been prevalent here, but nobody had seen one in years. We thought it would be awesome if we actually found a Massasauga but the chances were slim. We didn't end up finding any snakes on the prairie so we started to head out. On the way, we ran into the Natural Areas Manager of Allerton, Nate. We told him that we had been looking for snakes and he said that we could help them do snake surveys in the future. We also asked Nate about an old broken-down barn that we had seen nearby. He said that it was DNR property and that we were free to look for snakes there if we wanted to. At the barn there was plenty of stuff for snakes to hide under but all we found was a small Brown Snake under some old roofing. Sadly we didn't photograph that snake, but it wasn't a very impressive specimen either. The next place we went to was a railroad track. We were limited on time so we decided that we would spend a maximum of 10 minutes on the tracks. As soon as we got there, Sam found an American Toad hopping through the grass beside the tracks.

American Toad: PC Tristan Schramer

Not long afterwards, Sam yelled "Yo! Snake!" He was walking a few yards ahead of me so I was there in no time. "It disappeared into this clump of grass." he said, pointing at a clump of vegetation. I circled around the grass from the other side so that the snake wouldn't escape. I looked down and saw a good sized snake head poking through in between the blades. I quickly put my hand over the snake's head and started to dig its body out from under the grass. It was a 4 foot Fox Snake! I gave it to Sam as he was the one to spot it. The snake promptly musked all over his hands and threw a bite or two. Sam was unfazed and he set the snake down on the tracks so we could get photos. As most Fox Snakes do, it went into a defensive position, with an S-shaped vertical coil and started vibrating its tail furiously. Meanwhile, Tristan had found another Brown Snake under a railroad tie but he let it go when we found the Fox Snake. We managed to get some good pictures because this snake was keen on keeping that defensive pose foe us.

Fox Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Fox Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Fox Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Considering we had found 2 snakes and a toad in the matter of 2 minutes at this railroad track, we thought that it would be a great place to come back to in the future. We let the Fox Snake go and made our way home. Not bad for a short morning trip.