Christmas has happened, I've seen puddles freeze, I haven't seen a snake in over a month, and I just had to buy a new heater. I guess it's that time of year again...
Last summer, I moved from northern California to western Arkansas, and herped the 2nd half of last year cameraless. Although I found some cool stuff during that time, I've had some of the best herping of my life (I've been at it since I was 7ish). I've seen some amazing new places, met some great people, and have seen some awesome new animals.
Tax time is one of my favorite times of year, and with my tax return I was able to secure a new camera before the season started (Nikon D7000) but, to get the body I had to forego a lens for a bit, so I ended up picking up an old (circa 1969) fully manual Nikkor 55mm "Micro" macro lens that I'm still shooting with today.
Anyhow, after almost three months of withdrawal, we had a couple warm days in February, which were awarded with my first herp of the year (the same day the new camera arrived).
Virginia striatula - Rough earth snake.
Two or three days after that, some friends and I eagerly headed south to the Ouachitas for the first herping trip of the year, in search of some of the endemic snot lizards. We hit it a little early, but still found some good stuff... plus I had my first experience with hoar frost above the ground. The fog was frozen and when I woke up, everything facing the south in camp was completely frozen including our tents.
Plethodon serratus - Southern redback were by far the most numerous salamanders observed.
Desmognathus brimleyorum - Ouachita duskies were another common find, by flipping rocks half submerged in the many creeks in the area.
We didn't find any endemics until the last day, when we knocked off two species within a couple hours of each other.
Plethodon ouachitae - Rich Mountain salamander (Cyndi found this one, but I had found one nearly identical that had ended up down a hole while trying to shoot it)
Plethodon fourchensis - Fourche Mountain salamander
You can just sense the cold...
With march came some pretty good finds, a lot of which were found at an ac site I hit after work when I have time, that I never have my camera for. Haha
An early March hike 20 minutes from home yielded a couple more sallie finds:
Plethodon agusticlavius - Ozark zigzag (Yellow phase)
Eurycea tynerensis - Oklahoma salamander
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In late March, Eric took me to a small glade real close to where I found those sallies a couple weeks before that has turned out I think 12 species of snakes this year.
Besides the ever numerous ringnecks and rough earths, we found a couple of these which were a target for me...
Carphophis vermis - Western worm snake
I also got to experience my first (and only so far) sting from one of these guys... which was much worse than any
U. mordax or
P. silvestri I had been stung by back in CA.
Centruroides vitattus - Striped bark scorpion.
There was a strong burning sensation that had lasted close to half an hour, and some mild lightheadedness that lasted almost two hours. Once the pain subsided, my hand got the tingly feeling that you get after an extremity falls asleep, and it didn't stop for almost 24 hours. All of my stings in CA have lasted 10 or so minutes at most.
During the first week in April, Brad, Jeremy and I decided to check out some habitat for some barely out of Arkansas
atrox so we headed within spitting distance over the border into Oklahoma and poked around.
Dappled sunlight? check.
Briars? check.
Coachwhips? check.
Masticophis (=Coluber) flagellum flagellum - Eastern coachwhip.
Atrox? Check!
April 12th, my good friend and favorite herper girl, Natalie McNear flew out for a few days to herp. It was a little early still for roadcruising but we hit some good spots and had some good times, like always.
This pennyhead was a welcome flip (as it was my first non roadcruised copper)
Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix - Southern copperhead
Coluber constrictor priapus - Southern black racer
This little PK would end up being the only one I personally found all year.
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster - Prairie king
By ten am, I had flipped the PK and a couple speckled kings (which I still have yet to actually shoot) and we spent rest the day trying to round out the trifecta with a milk, but it never came to fruitition.
A couple of weeks later, we had our Arkansas Herp Society spring field trip which turned out some good stuff.
Hyla cinerea - Green treefrog
This little pair of fireballs was a cool find while walking around some flooded area during a massive interracial anuran orgy..
Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma - Western cottonmouth
I also got my first flipped milk, which I failed at getting any decent pics of...
Memorial day weekend, Eric and I headed up to Brad's compound for an afternoon of awesome food, great people, and blowing $#@! up. We knew of some decent roads up in that area so Eric and I decided to drag his wife and kids around with us while we made the loop as well as a few passes on one of the better sections, and I'm glad we did. Although we cruised 9 or 10 snakes, I think this rarity was the only non copper.
Cemophora coccinea copei - Northern scarlet snake (which was held for photos and released at site of capture)
The last weekend in May one of my best friends and another of our friends stopped by on their way from CA to Florida for a bit of herping.
As long as I had been here, I had been doing everything I could to score a timber, to no avail. That all changed the first day they got here. About two miles up the road from where Eric and I had cruised the scarlet a week before, we cruised this little sweetheart.
Crotalus horridus - Timber rattlesnake
I guess that one broke the curse, because the very next night we cruised two more on a road across the border in Oklahoma.
Two of my favorite things: Crotes and Giants baseball..
I flipped this milk just off the road a little before sunset:
Lampropeltis triangulum syspila (Red milksnake)
The find of the night for me, however, was this little thing...
Sistrurus miliarius streckeri - Western pyg.
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis (Midland watersnakes) have been a common sight most of the year. I only photo'd the better looking juvies.
I did shoot this adult about to chow down on a bluegill of some kind..
This little guy made a appearance somewhere, at some point...
Southern black racer
In early June I made a couple attempts and finding one of the more endangered snakes in the state of _________, which can only be found in a certain number of waterways within a certain number of counties.
The first trip yielded no vouchers more than this crushed individual...
This little guys was kiiiinda cool and almost cute even...
Pseudemys concinna - Eastern river cooter
The next trip however granted me some success with this ugly beast of a snake...
Regina septemvitatta - Queensnake
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Herping during the summer heat yielded very little except for a nerodia here and there... my only saving grace was walking creeks and ponds at night. That's when the cooler stuff showed up.
This was a common, almost nightly sight (sometimes seeing ten or so per night)
Opheodrys aestivus - Rough green snake
Southern black racer, in situ
Cottonmouths were very common in the smaller creeks and marshy areas of lakes.
These loud little things were just about everywhere as well:
Gastrophryne carolinensis - Western narrowmouthed toad
I only managed one summer diamondback...
Nerodia rhombifer - Diamondback watersnake. These things are hideous.
In July, Brad, Eric, Jeremy and I headed up to western Kansas and met up with the guys up there for the KHS Summer field trip. First herp of the trip was this big guy we cruised on the way up, somewhere in SW Kansas I think.
Ambystoma mavortium - Barred tiger salamander
Here are some other finds:
Heterodon platirhinos - Eastern hognose
Thamnophis radix - Plains garter
Crotalus viridis - Prairie rattlesnake (in situ)
And one off the road:
August was pretty much a bust save for a few of the common things.
During the last part of September I headed to Arizona to meet up with Natalie and our friend Michael for a solid week of herping. I'll leave the commentary to a minimum, but here are some of my favorite finds from that trip.
I almost stepped on this little babytrox which had crawled out onto the road right behind the car while we were shooting a 'winder.
Crotalus atrox - Western diamondback
Big and small, these guys littered the roads in Pima County.
Crotalus cerastes cercobombus - Sonoran desert sidewinder
Our first real target ended up getting knocked out within the first 15 minutes of being out of the car...
Heterodon kennerlyi - Mexican hognose
Sofa toads were all over the place on the nightly.
Scaphiopus couchii - Couch's spadefoot
This beast was a fatty
Target number two came on the second day of looking, and was another awesome find...
Oxybelis aenus - Mexican vinesnake - In situ
This big girl was stretched out lovin' life
Western Dback
This little orange scute ended up being one of my favorite snakes of the trip
Crotalus scutulatus - Mohave rattlesnake
Once I got back from Arizona, I didn't really have time to herp much back here, and I dont' think I ended up finding anything more than a few
sipedon and
Virginia.
It was a great year and I was able to spend a lot more time in the field than I had expected, rounding out 98 sp. and ssp. (all but 3 or 4 vouchered and input into the database) and I couldn't have done it without nor would I have had nearly the fun I did without the people I have been able to meet up and herp with this year.
Thu 29 Dec - 12:02
I guess I been fooled by their dramatic defensive display.
