Fall Herping at the Kankakee Sands 1

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
August 29th 2015

Species Found:

1. Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis trianglum triangulum)
2. Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)
3. Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)
4. Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxii)
5. Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata)
6. Bull Snake (Pituophis catenefer sayi)
7. Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
8. Midland Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum)
9. Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
10. Western Slender Glass Lizard (Ophiosaurus a. attenuatus)
11. Six-Lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata)
12. Western Fox Snake (Pantherophis vulpinus)
13. Northern Water Snake (Nerodia s. sipedon)

Background:
A herper from North Carolina named Thomas was in Illinois and wanted to see the herpetofauna of the state. A group of us met him at the Kankakee Sands to show him some snakes. Tristan and I had been to this spot a few times before and knew the area pretty well. We met some old friends: Conner, Culton, Matt and a few of Matt's coworkers, who would also look for herps with us.

The Trip:

By the time we pulled up, the herping had already begun and they had found a large Eastern Milk Snake under a wooden board. After introductions, most of us went to look for more snakes while others stayed to photograph the Milk Snake. In the next stretch, we found plenty of Gray Treefrogs and a few Fowler's Toads. Tristan found a Chorus Frog, a species that was pretty rare in these parts.

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Gray Treefrog: PC Tristan Schramer

Western Chorus Frog: PC Tristan Schramer

Conner and one of Matt's coworkers each found Blue Racers under boards. Conner caught his while the other escaped into some thorny bushes. It was a beautiful specimen about 4 foot in length.

Blue Racer: PC Tristan Schramer

The next snake found was a 4.5 foot Bull Snake by Thomas. It was his first Bull Snake so he was pretty excited. Some others found a few Garter Snakes and a Brown Snake, species that were extremely common elsewhere but pretty rare in the Kankakee Sands.

While we were walking through the sand prairie, I saw the tail of a Glass Lizard zip between some bushes. I tried to locate the animal but it was long gone. While everyone was searching the area for the Glass Lizard, Matt found an Ornate Box Turtle. This was the highlight of the trip because Ornate Box Turtles are extremely hard to find and are even listed as a Threatened Species in Illinois. Tristan had seen every Kankakee Sands species except for the Ornate Box Turtle so when he found out, he was ecstatic.

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Tristan and a few others stopped to photograph the turtle while I pressed on with a few others. We didn't find much else so we decided to move to another spot: a trailer nearby that had some tin and boards near it. There we found another Milk Snake and a Racerunner. Some of the other guys had never seen a Racerunner before but I had seen plenty.

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Six-lined Racerunner: PC Tristan Schramer

Next we went to another spot: some disused railway tracks that were know to harbor Fox Snakes. On the way from the car to the tracks, I saw several dead Leopard Frogs and hatchling Snapping Turtles on the road. I had never seen a live Snapping Turtle so I looked in the area but didn't find anything. We got to the tracks and started flipping old ties, rocks and logs. I lifted a rock that was half buried in the ground and found 3 hatching Fox Snakes. Each was a little over 6 inches long and they had very calm temperaments. While everyone was passing around and inspecting the snakes, I lifted the another rock next to the previous one and found 2 more baby Fox Snakes. I had found a nest of baby Fox Snakes!

Hatchling Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Meanwhile, Thomas found a Northern Water Snake under a log. It was an average sized male and had the average temperament of a water snake: nasty. Matt and his coworkers found a 2 more Northern Water Snakes and 3 more baby Fox Snakes in a rock pile. We photographed the snakes and released them. Soon, Matt yelled for someone to help him. He had a huge Northern Water Snake by the tail but the majority of its body was tangled in a clump of plants. I ran over and located the snake's head. With one motion, I grabbed its neck before it could bite me, which it was desperately trying to do. I pulled it out of the plants and handed the snake to Matt. It was a 4.5 foot female.
On the way back, someone saw another Garter Snake disappear into a hole under the rails. We tried to locate it but we couldn't.

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Trips to Kankakee are always fun but this one was even better because we got to see the Ornate Box Turtle, a beautiful rare species that nobody in our group had seen before.

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 :)

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.