Herpedex: All the Herps I Have Seen In The Wild: vermilion

Showing posts with label vermilion. 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.

Friday, 4 September 2015

Queen Snakes of Vermilion County, Illinois

Queen Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
September 4th 2015

Species Found:

Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata)
Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)
Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)

Background:

I had never seen a Queen Snake but Tristan had seen many over the last few years. We decided to go to a spot in Vermilion County to look for Queen Snakes. He had never seen Queen Snakes there but the habitat was perfect for them.

The Trip:

We drove out to Vermilion County one afternoon and made our way down to the water by walking under a bridge. We walked down a rocky slope and started wading the water. We were both prepared to get wet: me in my shorts and flipflops and Tristan in his old gym shoes. We had been in the water for 2 minutes when Tristan said that he had seen a snake jump off a rock and into the water. He was sure it had been a Queen Snake, so we probed around for it where he had seen it go down, but we couldn't find it. We walked on, flipping some rocks along the shore and also checking the clumps of vegetation in the water. It wasn't long before I found a baby Queen Snake under a flat rock on the shore. This was my first time seeing a Queen Snake so I inspected it thoroughly, observing minute details like the keels on its scales, the pattern on its ventral surface, and even the size of its pupil. Unlike the other water snake species I had seen, this one was very calm and mild tempered. Tristan came over and took a look at it. He said that it had more prominent stripes than the ones he had found in the Chicagoland.

Baby Queen Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Baby Queen Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Baby Queen Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Soon, Tristan found another baby Queen Snake which was a little bigger than the one that I had found. He then found an adult male Queen Snake under a rock that was half in the water. The adult was around 2 foot long and had duller patterns than the babies. It didn't even open its mouth to biter when Tristan picked it up. I concluded that Queen Snakes were just a very calm species.

Queen Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We also found some Cricket Frogs and a baby Northern Water Snake on the way back but we didn't photograph them. I was just happy that I got to see a species that I had never seen before.

Friday, 8 May 2015

Herping at the Vermilion River Observatory

Blue Racer: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
May 8th 2015

Species Found:

Eastern American Toad (Anaryxus americanus americanus)
Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
Smallmouth Salamander (Ambystoma texanum)
Northern Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans clamitans)
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxii)
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

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.

Sunday, 26 April 2015

Marsh Herping in Vermilion County, Illinois

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
April 26th 2015

Species Found:

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)
Four Toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)

The Trip:

Noah had worked with a salamander researcher named Abby in the past and she had done a lot of work with Four Toed Salamanders. We had been talking about going to look for Four Toed Salamander nests with Abby for a while so Noah finally reached out to her. Noah, Tristan and I decided to go to Abby's research site in Vermilion County along with Abby, her dog and another salamander guy named Lance. We got to the marsh, which consisted of water with a maximum depth of 1 foot and bright green plant clumps popping up out of the mud.

Marsh Habitat: PC Tristan Schramer

Four Toed Salamanders nest under clumps of moss in the marsh. We started looking around in the marsh for clumps of moss. While I waded through the water, I heard a rustling to my right. There was a large, dark Northern Water Snake on a clump of dry grass. I wasn't expecting to see a snake so it took a while for me to process what I was seeing. I lunged towards the snake to grab it but it slid into the water and disappeared. 10 seconds later, I saw it surface but it swam away really fast when I tried to grab it again. Ankle deep in mud and dodging plants, I couldn't keep up with the snake, so I gave up and went to search for another snake. I walked around for about 5 minutes before I saw my next snake, a Water Snake that was smaller than the previous one. It slid into the water as soon as it saw me but this time I jumped directly on it and grabbed a clump of algae and mud where I saw it go down. I pulled my hand out of the water and the snake was squirming among the algae and decaying vegetation in my hand. It promptly bit me 4 times as I untangled it from the debris. Once I had a firm hold on it, I called out "Water Snake!" so that everyone else could come see it. At the same time, Abby called out "Found a nest!". I walked over to the nest and everyone took turns inspecting both the snake and the salamander nest. The snake had calmed down by the time other people started handling it so nobody else had the honor of getting bit. Meanwhile, my hand was still bleeding from the 8 puncture wounds injected with anti-coagulant. Water snakes have an anti-coagulant in their saliva which prevents blood from clotting. This is a predatory adaptation rather than a defense mechanism. Large prey animals will lose blood, making it easier for the snake to swallow them. I took the snake to dry land so we could photograph it.

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Northern Water Snake Ventrals: PC Tristan Schramer

While everyone was photographing the snake, I went to take closer look at the salamander nest. I had to peel back the moss to actually see the eggs. They varied greatly in size but they all hung off the end of the moss, over the water. This is so that the larvae can drop into the water when they are ready. The female salamander usually guards the eggs till they develop. I found her hiding in a small hole a few inches away from the eggs. Looking at her small body, it was hard to imagine how all those eggs had come out of it. I later found out that the eggs come out very small and subsequently swell up by absorbing moisture.

Four Toed Salamander Nest: PC Tristan Schramer

We released all the animals and decided to head back. I had seen both Four Toed Salamanders and Water Snakes before but this trip was unique. Seeing the salamander nest really showed me how much effort the female puts into keeping her young safe. The next time I see a Four Toed Salamander I'll be reminded of those eggs in the moss. The Northern Water Snake was a new subspecies for me. I had caught a Midland Water Snake in Southern Illinois last fall, but this was a completely different experience. The Midland had been very docile because of the cold temperature but this Northern really showed me what Water Snakes are capable of, leaving 8 puncture wounds in my skin. The subspecies differ in that the Northern has wider dark bands on its back while the Midland has wider light bands. Their ranges also don't overlap too much. Regardless, seeing a snake was a treat. We had come to find salamander nests so the snake was an added bonus.

Friday, 17 April 2015

April Herping in Vermilion County, IL

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
April 11th and April 17th 2015

Species Found:

Redback Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Four Toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)
Silvery Salamander (Ambystoma platineum)
Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)

The Trip:

Last Fall we had been to a snake hibernaculum and found some large Blue Racers. We expected the snakes to emerge sometime now so we made a trip there one sunny evening. Sam, who was new to herping, came with us and was psyched up and ready to find some large snakes. We got there and were unhappy to find a group of people sitting on the railroad tracks above the hibernaculum, smoking and drinking. All our hopes of finding large snakes disappeared as we knew that these people would have spooked any snakes that had been out basking. Either way, we started looking under objects like logs, rocks and railroad ties for anything. We found some Redback salamanders under rocks but that was about all we could find.

Redback Salamander: PC Tristan Schramer

We decided to leave the hibernaculum and go to a nearby spot to where we had found Four Toed Salamanders before. Sam had never seen any salamanders before so he was excited to see anything. We got there and started flipping the rocks we had found them under last time. Unfortunately we didn't find any there. Tristan found a dead Box Turtle's shell and it was cool to see the bone patterns on the inside. About 5 minutes Tristan found a small Four Toed Salamander under a piece of wood. We showed it to Sam and explained how Four Toed Salamanders have a speckled belly and a constriction at the base of the tail. Sam and I found about 5 more Four Toed Salamanders but all of them were juveniles only 3-4 cm long. The adults were probably in the ponds breeding. As we photographed our specimens it got dark and we started to hear the hoots of Barred Owls. After we released the salamanders, we walked back to the car by the light of our headlamps, somewhat satisfied with what we had found.

Four Toed Salamander: PC Tristan Schramer

Four Toed Salamanders: PC Tristan Schramer

About a week later, Tristan and I decided to go back to the hibernaculum with Megan. This time we weren't greeted by the rowdy yelling of drunk people, but by the sound of the flowing creeks, broken only by the croaking of frogs. This was a good sign.

We had heard of Black Rat Snake sightings all throughout the Midwest, and this was after all a Black Rat Snake hibernaculum so we were hopeful that we would find one. About 2 minutes in, someone found some Redback Salamanders. We had seen tons of these so we didn't waste any time taking photos. 5 minutes in, Tristan shouted "Black Rat!" and pulled a medium sized black snake out from under some leaves. I was super excited until I actually saw the snake. It was limp and its face was discolored. It dawned on us all that the snake was dead and had been for at least a few days. Nothing drops your spirits more than finding a cool new snake only to find out that it is dead. It was hard to determine the cause of death but it had surely died sometime after we had last been there.

Dead Black Rat Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We were discouraged by the dead snake but we kept on looking for snakes. I climbed up a hillside which had a lot of debris like metal pieces, wooden planks and ceramic tiles strewn on it. After about 10 minutes, I found a small Ringneck Snake under a ceramic tile. It was only a juvenile but still a first time species for Megan, Tristan and me. Ringneck Snakes are called so because of the bright colored ring pattern around their neck. They have a dull colored back and a bright colored belly. We found 4 more Ringneck Snakes on that hillside. With all of the snakes in front of us, it was very easy to see just how much the belly patterns varied. Some had 3 lines of dots running down their bodies, some had just the 2 sides and others had no dots on the belly at all.

5 Ringneck Snakes: PC Yatin Kalki

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

2 Types of Belly Patterns: PC Tristan Schramer

Plain Belly Pattern: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

On the other side of the hill I found 9 more Ringneck Snakes but I didn't catch them as we already had 5 to photograph. Under a large flat rock, I found 2 Ringneck Snakes and a medium sized salamander. At first I thought it was a Mole Salamander because of its large head. Then, I thought it was a Blue-spotted Salamander because of the blue speckles on its side. Tristan later identified it as a juvenile Silvery Salamander. We had found a Silvery Salamander in this county last month but apparently nobody had found any in this area. We decided to tell the qualified herpetologists about this particular find.

Silvery Salamander: PC Tristan Schramer

After we got photos and released all the animals, we decided to head back. Though we didn't get any live Black Rat Snakes, I was still pretty satisfied with our finds. The Ringneck Snake was a new addition to my American Herp List which now stood at 49 species.