Herpedex: All the Herps I Have Seen In The Wild: eastern garter snake

Showing posts with label eastern garter snake. Show all posts

Friday, 11 September 2015

Herping at the VRO, Again

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
September 11th 2015

Species Found

Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae)
American Toad (Bufo americanus)

Background:

Since Tristan and I had been given access to the Vermilion River Observatory, we had been trying to go there whenever we got free time. We went on a Friday afternoon with Eli, a friend who had come herping with us once before.

The Trip:

We got there and proceeded to check the big pile of tin as usual. We found a few Ringneck snakes, a new species for Eli. Under a large piece of tin that Eli and I flipped together, we found another Ringneck snake and a Smooth Earth Snake. The Smooth Earth Snake was the 2nd one that had ever been found at the VRO and the third one that had been found in the county since 1991. We had found the first VRO Smooth Earth a few weeks ago, but this one was more brightly colored than the last.

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Under some old computer parts, I found 2 small Garter Snakes. One was calm while the other one was snapping furiously. It finally calmed down and I took a few more photos.

Garter Snakes: PC Yatin Kalki

Garter Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

We then checked some ponds and found lots of tadpoles and a few American Toads. It started raining and we knew our chances of finding snakes under cover were slimming. We checked a few more spots with no luck and headed back.

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Herping at Fraker Farm, Woodford Co., IL

The Landscape of Fraker Farm: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
September 6th 2015

Species Found:

Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
Fox Snake (Pantherophis vulpinus)

Background:

Tristan had found Matt Fraker on an Illinois bird forum and found out that he did snake surveys on his land in Woodford Co. pretty regularly. Matt was a veterinarian who owned a chunk of natural land where he had laid out tin pieces for snakes. Snakes are attracted to the warmth of the tin and often rest underneath. This makes finding them much easier. Matt invited us to check the tin along with him one evening, so we made the 40 minute drive with our friend Eli.

The Trip:

On the way there, we were surprised by how hilly and mountainous the land got as neared the farm. We met Matt Fraker, piled into his SUV and drove through the prairie to the first set of tin. Under the first piece that we flipped we didn't find any snakes but Tristan spotted a Tiger Salamander just as we were letting the tin down. I had never seen a Tiger Salamander before so it was a new species for me. I took some photos before we let it go back under the tin.

Tiger Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

The next few tins we flipped had a few Garter Snakes under them. Eli had never been herping before so he had no experience with snakes. He was excited to hold the snakes that we found, even if Matt, Tristan and I weren't enthused by regular old Garters.

Garter Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Garter Snakes: PC Yatin Kalki

Matt said that there was a spot where he usually found Fox Snakes under the tin, so we went there next. We found a few more Garters and a single juvenile Fox Snake. Each Fox Snake has a slightly different skull pattern on its head and Matt told us that he was able to tell different individuals apart from photos he took on snake surveys. I thought it was really cool that he was able to monitor individual snakes on his property. The Fox Snake was pretty calm and posed quite nicely for photos.

Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Then, we checked a spot where Matt said that he usually found Milk Snakes but we couldn't find any. Still, it was a great trip and we promised Matt that we would be back soon. We realized that Fraker Farm would be a great place to bring people from the clubs that we were in, on field trips. It was a controlled environment with an amazing landscape where we could find harmless snakes.

Surveying Snakes: PC Tristan Schramer

Friday, 28 August 2015

Fall Herping at the Vermilion River Observatory, Illinois

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
August 28th 2015

Species Found:

Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus)
Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
Midland Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum)
Western Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae elegans)
Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
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

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

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

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

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.

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

Spring Herping in Ford County, Illinois

Plains Leopard Frog: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
May 3rd and 5th 2015

Species Found:

Plains Leopard Frog (Lithobates blairi)
Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)
Plains Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix)
Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus)
Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi)
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)

The Trip:

While Tristan was doing some research about Kirtland's Snakes in Illinois, he came across a post by a guy named Conner who had found dozens of these rare snakes in a small lake in a suburban area. We reached out to Conner and he was more than happy to show us where he had found them. On the 3rd we met Conner in Ford county along with another accomplished herper named Mike. On that day we didn't find any Kirtland's Snakes but we did see why they occurred in that habitat. The lake was bordered by soft soil riddled with crayfish burrows and large rocks on top - perfect Kirtland's Snake habitat. While we were there, we caught a Plains Leopard Frog and saw a few Northern Water Snakes which we didn't manage to catch. I had seen my first Plains Leopard Frog the previous day at Mercer, but we hadn't caught that one. This time, I could really examine it and see what made it different from other Leopard Frog Species. The Plains had a shorter snout, circular spots on the back and stripe interruptions near the thighs.

Kirtland's Snake Habitat:PC Tristan Schramer

Plains Leopard Frog: PC Tristan Schramer

Conner was really eager to have us in his neck of the woods so he offered to drive us up some other time to look again. On the 5th, we took him up on his offer. Conner and his twin brother Culton me and Tristan up and took us to the lake once again. And once again we stuck out at finding Kirtland's Snakes. To salvage what we could of the day, Conner took us to a few more snake spots he knew around his house. The first place we went to was a pile of debris beside a railroad track. Conner had found Plains Garter Snakes here and I had seen PLENTY of those before, passing by them almost everyday on campus, but I was curious to see how these snakes differed from the ones I was used to. Under an old tire Tristan found a small Plains Garter Snake with a big attitude. The snake immediately bit him on the hand and musked everywhere. This was so unlike the members of the species I had encountered before. I had caught close to 100 individual Plains Garter Snakes on campus and not a single one had ever even opened its mouth to bite. I thought that this bitey Garter was just an outlier until we found the next snake under a piece of tin. This one was bigger than the previous one and it all the same things, plus it pooped all over Tristan's hand. I came to the conclusion that either something has really pissed these snakes off, or the campus Garters are all softies. Sadly, we didn't get any photos of those angry Garters.

The next place Conner took us was a field by a lake where he had found Eastern Garters and Fox Snakes. We were welcomed by the happy trills of Eastern American Toads calling for mates. The majority of the calls were coming from this little puddle that had been made by a tractor's tires. We counted 6 calling toads just from the car. We got out to get a better look and surprisingly a good number of the toads kept calling. It was really cool to see the toads calling literally 2 inches away from us.

American Toad: PC Tristan Schramer

We walked through the field and found a few Cricket Frogs hopping around. Some had streaks of bright green and others of rust.

Cricket Frog: PC Tristan Schramer

At the corner of the field, there was a pile of shingles - a great place to find snakes. Sure enough, a few layers in we found a large 3 foot Eastern Garter Snake. "That's the biggest damn Garter I've ever seen!" exclaimed Conner as he proceeded to examine the large female. Less than 10 seconds later, I pulled an even LARGER Eastern Garter from a few layers deeper. This one looked about 3 and a half foot long, which surprised us all because the biggest Garter we had seen before these 2 was a little over 2 foot long. This snake musked, pooped and tried to bite me. The musk of the Eastern Garter was a lot stronger and more offensive than that of the Plains Garter. We found a family of mice a little deeper in the shingle pile but that was about it.

Eastern Garter Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Me holding both Eastern Garters: PC Tristan Schramer

Eastern Garters: PC Tristan Schramer

After we released the big Garters, we decided to call it a day. I didn't see any new or rare species on this trip but I did see a different side to the species I was used to seeing.

Saturday, 2 May 2015

Spring Herping in Mercer County, Illinois

Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
May 2nd 2015

Species Found:

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Western Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus)
Six-lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata)
Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Northern Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans clamitans)
Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
Plains Leopard Frog (Lithobates blairi)
Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi)
Western Fox Snake (Pantherophis vulpinus)
Dwarf American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus charlsmithi)

Background:
Tom Anton, the herpetologist for the Chicago region wanted us to help him fill in the missing reptile and amphibian records for Mercer County. The county was right in between 2 other counties that had full lists of species so we knew which species we needed to find. Tom and Joey had taken a trip to Mercer the week before and got a few records: Painted Turtles and Ribbon Snakes. Having 4 more people there would greatly increase their chances of finding herps so they asked us to come along.

The Trip:

Doug, Sam, Tristan and I reached Mercer around 8:30 am, after a 3 hour drive. Our first location was a grassy hillside that was right along the river. We got out of the car and started searching even before Tom and Joey showed up. In about half an hour we had found 2 Eastern Garter Snakes. Doug and Tristan caught one in the grass and Sam found the other one under a log. These Garter Snakes had a lot of red coloration on their sides so they were different than any Garter Snake I had seen before. When Tom showed up he was really surprised about our reddish Garters. He said that they looked exactly like the ones found on the other side of the river, in Iowa. Thamnophis sirtalis siralis was a new subspecies for me. I had only seen the Chicago Garter Snake before this.

Eastern Garter Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Red Coloration of Eastern Garter Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Eastern Garter Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

The next location we went to was a junkyard nearby. It had piles of garden waste and the odd piece of tarp or rubber. As soon as we got there Sam caught a Six-lined Racerunner and someone else caught a Western Ribbon Snake. I had seen both of these species before but they were cool nonetheless. Then some lady from the town came up to us and started asking us about what we were doing. She seemed kind of angry but Tom dealt with her and she went away. I saw a nice pile of debris that was out in the sun next to a tree, perfect snake habitat. As I got towards it, I saw a colorful Ribbon Snake disappear under an old tangled fire-hose. I tried to catch it but I couldn't find it again. Either way, we had other Ribbon Snakes to photograph.

Six-lined Racerunner: PC Tristan Schramer

Western Ribbon Snake: PC Joey

Next, we went to some large ponds that were a short walk through the forest. The moment we got to the water's edge we started to see frogs jumping into the water. I saw some Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, Leopard Frogs and Cricket Frogs but I didn't get photos of any of them. Tom spotted a Plains Leopard Frog, a new species for both me and Tristan. Only Joey managed to get a good photo as we never caught it. We caught a Northern Leopard Frog in a field, which Tristan photographed.

Plains Leopard Frog: PC Joey

Northern Leopard Frog: PC Tristan Schramer

Tristan found a juvenile Northern Water Snake under a log and also found a Ribbon Snake that was drinking water.

Juvenile Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Western Ribbon Snake drinking water: PC Tristan Schramer

Western Ribbon Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We moved away from that pond and up a steep bank that overlooked the river. We saw a Northern Water Snake sitting at the edge of the cliff. Joey skillfully caught it by laying down on the ground and sneaking up on it. I found a juvenile Fox Snake under a log and everyone took turns photographing it.

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Juvenile Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Everybody photographing the Fox Snake: PC Joey

We headed back to the road and decided to check one more spot before lunch. It was the floodplain on the other side of the road. Again, we walked through the forest and got to the water. We had flipped a good number of logs and found nothing. I was starting to think this location was a bust, when I flipped a large, hollow log. As soon as I picked up the log, a good sized Northern Water Snake shot out from under it. On impulse, I grabbed it by the tail and lifted it up. It was squirming and writhing, throwing bites left and right. I managed to hold onto it for 30 seconds before I got bit. Once I got bit the first time, I figured it was okay to free handle it so I did, and got bitten 4 more times. I was showing everyone where I had found the snake when I saw the fat body of a female Northern Water Snake sticking out from the very same log. THEY WERE A MATING PAIR! I carefully pulled the female out from the log and laid it on the ground. She was much calmer than the male and refused to bite even with all the handling. We took our photos and let them get back to their fun in the hollow log.

Male Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Totally Worth It: PC Tristan Schramer

Female Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Me with the Female Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

On the way out, Tristan found a little juvenile Northern Water Snake under some debris. It was the smallest Water Snake I had ever seen, but just as feisty as the rest. We also found another Garter Snake under a plastic bag.

Juvenile Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Me releasing a Garter Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

After lunch we drove to another location. It was far off the road and much more pristine than the other locations. It was a fishing area, with a large water body and an even larger floodplain. As soon as we got there, we saw a medium sized Northern Water Snake in the water. It swam away before we could catch it. We spread out and managed to find a few more Northern Water Snakes. Joey caught a Garter Snake and Tristan spotted a Ribbon Snake which got away. At an abandoned shed, I caught a large Garter Snake which was under a water pipe. While Tristan and I were recording the Garter Snake's coordinates, Tom, Joey and Sam yelled for us. We ran back to find Tom holding a large angry snake. It was a 3 foot adult Fox Snake. Apparently they had been walking and heard a buzzing coming from under some dried plants. Sam investigated it and found that it was the Fox Snake vibrating its tail. This was my 3rd Fox Snake but my first adult. This snake was even feistier than the Water Snakes, refusing to calm down even after many minutes of handling. When we put it on the ground, it coiled up and raised its head in the air, vibrating its tail and hissing loudly. We took a few photos and let it go before it could get even angrier.

Tom with the Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Me with the Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Joey with the Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

The daylight was fading and we had one more location to hit, so we decided to move on. On the way back to the cars, Sam spotted another Northern Water Snake in a rock pile. We pulled it out and found that it had just eaten a large frog, evident from the bulge in its body. This snake didn't throw a bite or even squirm. It must have been sluggish after just eating. We took a photo and let it go.

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

At the car, we were welcomed by a yellow dog. It was loose with no ID, but very friendly. We played with it for a while before we left for our next location.

Random Dog: PC Joey

Random Dog: PC Tristan Schramer

At the next location we didn't find anything except Cricket Frogs so we decided to call it a day and head back. This trip was probably one of the most enjoyable yet. I got to see a lot of cool snakes and the company of everyone was an added bonus. Working with an experienced herpetologist like Tom was a great experience and I learned a lot. As far as my Herp List went, I got 1 new species, the Plains Leopard Frog, and one new subspecies, the Eastern Garter Snake. My list now stood at 53 American Herp Species.