Michigan Herps

The Midwest Crew (from R to L): Greg Stephens, Nick Scobel (Me), Todd Pierson, Andrew Hoffman, Jamie Faller, Nick Burgmeier (Photo by Mike Pingleton)

I awoke to the sound of car doors near my campsite at 8 AM on Friday morning, little did i know who was causing all the racket. I emerged from my tent and was eating breakfast when a man came to my campsite and intoduced himself. Mike Pingleton was everything I expected him to be, and it was truly a pleasure to meet him. After exhanging a few words, Mike told me that a few members from the midwest chapter would be meeting near Winter's Pond around 9 to walk the road for the morning. So I followed Mike over to the parking area and was shocked to see such a large group of people out so early. This was the Indiana crew, some of who work for the Indiana DNR, and those who are avid herpers. Greg Stephens in an Indiana state herpetologist and does work with Timber Rattlesnakes. I also met Todd Pierson & Andrew Hoffman, both of who are avid field herpers and exceptional photographers. Greg had already been up in the bluffs near the parking area and had spotted several Cottonmouths in less than five minutes. With the group acquainted, we headed out for our morning walk.

The morning air was comfortable, and a few cricket frogs and leopard frogs were out and about. We hadn't been walking very long when Mike Pingleton called out a toad. Dwarf American Toads are pretty common within the Shawnee National Forest, and are often a very cool rust or red color. We all gathered around and took a few shots of this cool little amphibian.

Dwarf American Toad (Bufo americanus charlesmithii)

We all distibuted into different directions. Some of us worked up along the bluff faces. A few others went down near the edges of the LaRue Swamp. And some just stuck to the road. It took a little while, but finally someone spotted the most common Shawnee inhabitant. "I've got a Cottonmouth down here!" Andrew shouted. He had been walking the scattered area inbetween the road and the swamp, and had found one fresh out of the swamp heading upland. It was a nice typical adult, about two and a half feet in length.

Moccasin fresh out of the swamp.

A little farther up the road, we found two nice Cottonmouths within five feet of each other. One was a nice adult which was found coiled, and the nother was a neonate which was flipped under a big log. It was neat to see that the Moccasins that inhabit LaRue are continuing to reproduce year in and year out.

A neonate Cottonmouth that was flipped under a large log.

The adult Cottonmouth that was found a few feet from the neonate.

Here's a few more Cottonmouths found in the morning....

After walking from one end of the road to the other, we sat out in front of Otter Pond and ate lunch. The morning has brought some pretty cool herps, but the majority of what we found were cottonmouths. As the day went on, the temperatjre was rising quickly so we headed back. But near Otter Pond, we stopped at a crack in the bluffs where there is a spring, and saw dozens of Cave Salamanders (Eurycea lucifuaga) & a few Longtail Salamanders (Eurycea longicauda) within the crack walls. Areas like this are part of what makes Snake Road so unique.

Just outside of the spring, a small runoff stream runs and someone yelled out that they had found a gorgeous neonate Cottonmouth. Sure enough, there was a tiny brightly colored moccasin.

A juvenile Cottonmouth found in the creek.

Greg Stephens knew of a den high up in the bluffs near the Salamander grotto, so we headed up the steep hillside to find the den. Along the way, almost stepped on these two because I was paying attention to another snake in front of me.

A paiir of Cottonmouths that were nearly stepped on.

Another Cottonmouth out for a stroll along the Bluffs.

Greg Stephens, Me, & Todd Pierson checking out the Cottonmouth Den (Photo by Jamie Faller)

So we began our walk back towards Winter's Pond, and surprisingly in the heat of the day, more herps were out than in the earlier morning. The first find was by Andrew Hoffman, he pulled out a nice Yellow-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia ethyrogaster flavigaster) from the edge of the swamp.

Yellow-bellied Water Snake

Not too much further up the road, I spotted a Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) crossing the road in front of us. I had hoped of seeing one since I hadn't come across one in April during my first Snake Road visit. We brought the Rough Green back to the rest of the group so people could get some photographs of it.

Todd, Ben, & Andrew trying to position the Rough Green for Photos

Rough Green Snake

Matt Jepson, Me, & Ben Photographing the Snake (Photo by Todd Pierson)

The group had separated a little, and we met farther up in the road. As we were walking, Nick Burgmeier yelled that he had found a big Missisippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion) down near the swamp. He brought it up to the road, and it sure was a beauty.

Nick with the Missisippi Green

Mississippi Green Water Snake

The heat was approaching the 90s and the herps began to become scarce. We headed back to camp and took a rest and waited for the cool of the evening. During dinner, Justin Michels joined Mike Pingleton, myself, and Wayne from Missouri and his wife. We all decided that we were going to head out for a night walk on the road. The road had been very productive thus far and Pingleton had said its quite an experience at night. So we headed out on the road about 8 PM. We hadn't walked more than five minutes when Wayne said he heard something moving in the leaves but couldn't find what it was. He was shining is headlamp off the road, I went over and began searching the darkness with my flash light. I was shocked when I saw a beaitiful red, black, and white serpent making its way through the leaf litter. "Red Milk!" I yelled.

Red Milk Snake

Me getting chomped by the Red Milk Snake (Photo by Mike Pingleton)

Me with the Red Milk Snake

While some of us were still photographing the Red Milk Snake, Wayne found a nice little Eastern Garter Snake. So we had been on the road for less than five minutes, and we already had 2 snakes. No more than a hundred yards up the road, I spotted a snake coiled on the side of the road, it was a nice adult Western Cottonmouth that was trying to suck up the last bit of warmth from the road.

Western Cottonmouth (Photo by Justin Michels)

Neonate Western Cottonmouth

We couldn't believe how well the night had started off. We continued so see a lot of moving herps. Cottonmouths were found scurrying off the road and across it, we also found a few Green Tree Frogs resting in vegetation. About halfway up the road we ran into the Indiana crew who had been coming from the opposite end of the road. They had seen a few Cottonmouths and Water Snakes, but not much more. We talked for a few minutes and then continued on our way. We came over a ridge and I thought I could see something moving in the road ahead of us. I shined my flashlight and was amazed at what I saw. There ahead of us, was a very large Timber Rattlesnake crossing the road. I couldn't help but yell, "TIMBER!" Everyone looked and saw the Queen of Shawnee making her way towards the bluffs.

An adult female Timber Rattlesnake

The Queen of Shawnee

Later that night after a campfire, a few of us decided to go back out to the road. Don, myself, & Sam headed out hoping to see anything. It didn't take a long, as Don and I got lifers with a nice Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) that Don flipped under a log.

Spotted Salamander

Sam also flipped up this Gray Treefrog and a tiny Red-bellied Snake under a log, we looked for a while longer but saw nothing more than a few frogs and toads.

Seeing the Timber Rattlesnake was one of the highlights of the trip, and it gave me an opportunity to acheive something I never thought I would've had a shot at...Getting the pit viper trifecta. The Cottonmouth, Timber Rattlesnake, and Copperhead. With two of the species out of the way, all I had left was the Northern Copperhead...

Species Observed:

• Western Cottonmouth
• Timber Rattlesnake
• Yellow-bellied Water Snake
• Mississippi Green Water Snake
• Northern Red-bellied Snake
• Rough Green Snake
• Red Milk Snake
• Eastern Garter Snake
• Cave Salamander
• Longtail Salamander
• Two-lined Salamander
• Spotted Salamander
• Dwarf American Toad
• Blanchard's Cricket Frog
• Southern Leopard Frog
• Gray Treefrog
• American Bullfrog

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