The kids had some friends over yesterday, and one of these friends caught a little turtle while they were canoeing on the pond. So stinking adorable!
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On our way back from town, about a quarter mile from the entrance to my driveway, I saw something half on the road, half into the grass. It looked like a dinosaur! It was huge! It was a big snapping turtle. I didn't pull out a tape measure, but I bet his shell was 14-16" from front to back. And that tail! They look so prehistoric.
I touched his tail in an effort to get him to budge off the road somewhat. He didn't seem to care, but he was eying me. Then we used the end of canvas folding chair to nudge him, which made him hop and half spin into the grass, and he hissed angrily at us. Since he was now off the road, we left him in peace. What an amazing experience! And now we are up to 7 herp species. Since late March we have been hearing the frogs calling, and we joke that love is in the air. At first it started with just a lone peeper call, and then a few more calls from a few more species the next day. Now it's an ear-splitting ruckus that you can hear even with a movie or music on in the house. We love it! Today I was down by the pond, watching a chorus frog call in the water. I could stand there forever, just watching the activity around me. Wood frogs especially make me laugh because they just sound comical, and they scurry across the surface to get to other frogs, which is also comical. But as I was saying, I was by the pond watching a chorus frog, and I heard it. That slithery noise through the dry leaves that sometimes sounds like wind but is often a snake crusing through. The snake didn't see me. I stood there frozen, just watching him, and I thought I'd follow him stealthily and see where he led me. (I might have said "take me to your hibernaculum." If you watch Grimm on NBC, you'd laugh at that). He followed the water's edge so I followed through the pond, watching for frog eggs as I stepped. Then he turned up a deer trail. The entire time he was tongue flicking and darting around as if he was on the hunt. Then I heard something near him; 2 snakes loosely coiled up. He went right to them and joined the party, and another snake came from a different direction and joined as well. And then you can imagine what happened, something I have never seen, a mating ball of garter snakes! Of course, my camera was at the house. I was wishing I could get it but knew I had to just enjoy the moment and use my phone to get the pictures. So they did that for a minute or so and then the female shot off in one direction and two males followed her, and one derpy male went in circles in the area she had been in for awhile and then made his way in her direction, too. My son and I tracked them for awhile without them really knowing we were there. That was also very fun, to watch their natural movements without them being afraid of us. I had to take a pic as this guy slithered over my boot. He rested there for a little while, actually! Yes, they are just garters, but they are fascinating snakes! It was an awesome experience.
This is the video for it. So far we have found 6 different species of herps.
Though we saw turtles before snakes, I hadn't taken any pictures because I don't often have my camera with telephoto lens while on the canoe. On Sunday, I decided I'd bring it along on the canoe ride, and I am glad I did! We saw at least 5-6 different turtles in various places. The big turtle claimed the big tree that fell into the water, and the other turtles were on other various logs that were floating by the shore. I received a few pictures from my husband while I was working on a Saturday morning. No text at all, just these pictures: And there I was, sitting at work! Then he told me that my youngest daughter caught two, for a total of 3 garter snakes. The kids were keeping them in a container for me to see. I was disappointed not to have been there, for sure, but really glad they had the experience of finding them.
When I returned home, my youngest daughter released them while I took a few pictures. Last year we found the first garter of the year on April 21, 2014. We went to the pond to check out the action since the noise level has increased dramatically since last week. I nearly stepped on a small blob of frog eggs, and then I found an even bigger pile! Now we need to be extra careful where we step.
Picture taken with my Note 4. I have a good friend, and though she is not into reptiles like I am, she is totally open to letting her children be into them if they wish! So for one of her daughter's 10th birthday parties, she asked if I could bring reptiles to make it a reptile-themed party. Of course! Here are some pictures of the day.
March 31st between 4:30 and 6:00 PM. 58 degrees. All frogs were found in the small pond near shore.
Pictured is wood frog, leopard frog, and chorus frog. I realize now that I have not written a single thing about the great year I had in 2014. I didn't mention the countless garters, many Eastern hognose, multiple Western Foxsnakes, numerous red-bellied snakes, Northern prairie skinks, frogs, and toads that we found on our new property. It made for many exciting days, that is for sure.
I also did 3 education events in 2014, which is more than I did in 2013. I hadn't planned on doing much of them while my snakes were young anyway, so I hope to do more as time progresses. Thankfully I work for a vet clinic where they place a high priority on educating the community! Here's to a great 2015! |