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SOUTHEAST
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March 2006
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Click on any
photo to see a larger version
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1 of 4
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As the weather finally begins to warm, rising temperatures and restless
anticipation stimulate the Spring migration of herpers down the eastern
seaboard. Guided by some mysterious
force (Mapquest) they converge on the Southeast, returning annually to renew
the cycle of life (surely every herper’s been told to get a life, right?).
This year I, too, was
part of the wheeled migration, along with my brother Ron and our friend
Berkeley. First stopover was
the Low Country of South Carolina, where we joined a group of local herpers
to help them hunt for Rattlesnakes in a thickly wooded pine forest.
Spent all afternoon
searching, but the closest we came to snakes was a Racer that got away from
Ron. By the end of the day we found
ourselves in a stand of spindly pines that had been cleared by fire, so we spread
out to cover more ground on the open forest floor.
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Photo courtesy of Berkeley Boone
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Sweeping the dry, brown needles around a small, charred stump, one of
our companions was surprised to discover something hidden beneath the matted
pine straw.
The snake lay perfectly still until we pulled back its cover, at which
point the Canebrake made his objections perfectly clear. Eventually it settled back down, apparently
convinced that, once again, he could no longer be seen.
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Canebrake Rattlesnake
(southern form of Timber Rattlesnake)
Crotalus horridus
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Next day was spent upland in sand hills habitat.
It was still quite cool, so we were surprised when this juvenile Coachwhip,
an extreme hot-weather snake, turned up so early in the season.
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Eastern Coachwhip
Masticophis flagellum
flagellum
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Found a pair of Slimies under cover by the edge of the woods . . .
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Slimy Salamander
Plethedon glutinosus
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. . . and this
Red Salamander in a nearby stream. The
southern variety is much duller than its northern cousin, but it was a lifer
for me, so I was pleased to see one.
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Southern Red Salamander
Pseudotriton
ruber vioscai
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Fence lizards are very common in the sand hills, but this one found by Berkeley was uncommonly
colorful.
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Eastern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus undulatus
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Not so common is the Crowned Snake, a small, secretive serpent that
feeds on insects and arachnids. It was
another lifer for me and Ron.
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Southeastern Crowned Snake
Tantilla coronata
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Southern Toads were plentiful, but this one was particularly uncolorful
(though sort of dramatic, in that troll-gargoyle-mutant kind of way). Ground Skinks, too, are abundant in the
sandy South Carolina
habitat.
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Ground Skink
Scincella lateralis
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Southern Toad
Bufo terrestrius
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Down near the base of the sand hill was a small, clear stream where I
got my first chance to see a Queen Snake.
Although quite common in many places throughout the South, for some
reason I had never come across one until now.
So although we didn’t find much this day, the tally included three
lifers for me, and I left our first stopover with the pleasure that comes
from small, satisfying discoveries.
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Queen Snake
Regina septemvittata
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