A little late, but here are some of my favorite herps I saw over the 2015 herp season. My dad accompanied me in a lot of my herp expeditions, and has really gotten interested and thrilled with herping and birding. He even spots things an entire group misses! It was a great year. I got to travel to many places including Maryland, Virginia, Florida, West Virginia, and Kansas. Good herps, good friends and family, and okay photographs.
My first day of herping began on New Year's Day. I had just recovered from a fever while down in Florida. I was itching to get outside and try for some snakes. Within an hour of hiking, I stumbled upon my first Eastern Diamondback, coiled underneath a palmetto.
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
High School and standardized tests prevented me from going seeping throughout the rest of the Winter and parts of Spring. Lots of my spare time was also devoted to "herps with wings". The bycatch of birding sometimes included amphibians.
Northern Red Salamander (larval) by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Dusky Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Two-lined Salamanders by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
2015's winter season was dreadfully cold, but the snow and ice finally ended around late March. Plenty of Amphibians were out and about by then.
Wood Frog by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Wood Frog Tadpoles by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Spring Peeper by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Cricket Frog by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Marbled Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Marbled Salamander (larval) by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Spotted Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Four-toed Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Spring Break in April also gave me the opportunity to check out some places I found in Southern New Jersey via Google Earth. It was still pretty cold, but I was able to find some early snakes and reptiles, some of them new finds.
Eastern Wormsnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Black Racer by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Red-bellied Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Southern Ringneck Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Rough Green Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
One of my main goals was to try and find New Jersey Chorus Frogs and Tiger Salamanders. I heard the Chorus Frogs, but did not find the Tigers.... but I would be back soon
Back in Central New Jersey, I had two main goals for the rest of the 2015 season. They weren't "lifers", but more a less species that I really wanted to see more of. The two species I had in mind were Milk Snakes and Red Salamanders. Both are spectacular species that I wished to see more around my area. The goal was simply to see as many as I could this year. May was quickly approaching, so I set out to try and find some more Milk Snakes.
By May 6th, I had struck my first Milk - a large adult flipped under a rock.
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
I saw two other Milks during May. The first one slid into the rocks before I could grab it, the second one was stuck in netting used for erosion control. We managed to cut it from the netting, and checked to see if it had any injuries. Fortunately, it did not. After the procedure, we released it back close to where we found it.
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
I found another Milk Snake in June, flipped underneath tin at a new spot.
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
By July, we made a trip down to the DC Metro Area, where I got to herp around Maryland and Virginia during my spare time. We found lots of cool herps while down there, and three more Milk Snakes.
One of my favorite memories was spotting this Eastern Ribbon Snake periscoping after a rain shower. I watched him for fifteen minutes as he traversed through the grass and leaf litter in search of amphibian prey.
Eastern Ribbon Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
We also found this Spotted Salamander in the middle of July during the rain.
Spotted Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Another awesome find was this Smooth Earth Snake, which was flipped under a small piece of concrete. Earth Snakes are extremely rare in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but much more abundant in Maryland, so it was great to finally see one in the flesh.
Smooth Earth Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
And of course, here are the Milks. They are by far one of my favorite snakes on the east coast, getting better and better every time I find them. Their polymorphism and variable color patterns are addicting.
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
After DC, my family and I drove to Kansas. I only got to herp one day there, but it was quite the thrill. Here are some of the snakes I saw.
Northern Red-bellied Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Prairie Ringneck Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Western Worm Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
On our way home we made a quick stop to pay our respects to Snake Road, before stopping again in West Virginia. I was itching to try my luck at some Appalachian Salamanders, and did a quick search using satellite maps to see if I could spot any areas that looked good for one particular species of Salamander. By luck, I found a place that looked perfect, and was only twenty minutes from our hotel. The chase was on.
Searching was slow, but at the eleventh hour, I scanned one last crack and found this guy peering out next to my flashlight.
Green Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Green Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
We also found several Mountain Dusky Salamanders.
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Back in New Jersey, I went down to the Pine Barrens many times in preparation for baby snake season. Our first trip down resulted in my Dad and I getting stuck inside a mud puddle in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, we were able to get towed out.
Our consultation prize was this beautiful gravid female Timber Rattlesnake.
Timber Rattlesnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
In addition, I saw many baby Racers in August and September, along with another spectacular Milk Snake near my house.
Northern Black Racer by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Eastern Milksnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Close by, I found two spectacular adult Red Salamanders along with over a dozen larva during two trips.
Northern Red Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Red Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Back in the Pine Barrens, we found more snakes during subsequent trips - including another Rough Green Snake.
Rough Green Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Then towards dusk, we spotted this beautiful snake stretched out in some bushes along a hiking trail. We didn't want to disturb her, so I snapped a few pictures and went on our merry way.
Northern Pine Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Our last visit to the Pines during October yielded three Pine Snakes and two Eastern Hognose Snakes. A thrilling and awesome end.
Northern Pinesnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Pinesnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Pinesnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Pinesnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Eastern Hognose Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Eastern Hognose Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
With the season coming to an end, I went out to try and look for some Salamanders before the cold took over. Thankfully it was abnormally warm throughout November. so many species were still on the surface.
Northern Redback Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Slimy Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Four-toed Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Blue-spotted Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Thanksgiving Break was also a great time to try again for Eastern Tiger Salamanders. It was a long shot, but my dad and I embraced rain and cold weather to try and find one. Luckily, we were able to find two - a subadult and an adult near their breeding pools. We also managed to find a stray New Jersey Chorus Frog hopping along nearby.
Eastern Tiger Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Eastern Tiger Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
New Jersey Chorus Frog by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
In December, herping was again limited to Spring Seeps. While we usually find Pickerel Frogs, Duskies and Two-lineds and the occasional Red, this trip we found our first Winter Garter Snake.
Eastern Gartersnake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Along with a stunning Red and the usual suspects
Northern Red Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Northern Red Salamander by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Finally, towards Winter Break, I spent a week with my family in South Florida. We didn't herp too much, but we still found some pretty awesome herps. Here are some of the highlights and bittersweet moments from the trip.
Eastern Spadefoot Toad by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Florida Gopher Frog by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
DOR Eastern Coral Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
Coastal Dunes Crowned Snake by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
My last snake of the year, ironically, was a venomous one on New Year's Eve.
Florida Cottonmouth by Justin (NoNameKey), on Flickr
And that concludes my 2015 herp season. I will make a 2015 summary of some of the birds I've seen this year as well.
I hope you enjoyed and thanks for looking.
- Justin
2015 Highlights (Northeast, KS & FL) - (same as main forum)
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- intermedius
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Re: 2015 Highlights (Northeast, KS & FL) - (same as main for
Wow, Justin, this is a great post!
I'm especially impressed with that Green Salamander...one a trip to SW VA, one was spotted wedged deep in a crevice, but nobody got a shot or a clear look at it. I really want to get back within their range to try to find one again (hopefully in better weather for it; it was a bit dry at the time).
I love seeing people's yearly recap posts.
Andrea
I'm especially impressed with that Green Salamander...one a trip to SW VA, one was spotted wedged deep in a crevice, but nobody got a shot or a clear look at it. I really want to get back within their range to try to find one again (hopefully in better weather for it; it was a bit dry at the time).
I love seeing people's yearly recap posts.
Andrea
Re: 2015 Highlights (Northeast, KS & FL) - (same as main for
Great post, Justin. Keep on keepin' on!
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Re: 2015 Highlights (Northeast, KS & FL) - (same as main for
Thanks both! Glad you enjoyed.
- Justin
I would love to find more too!I'm especially impressed with that Green Salamander...one a trip to SW VA, one was spotted wedged deep in a crevice, but nobody got a shot or a clear look at it. I really want to get back within their range to try to find one again (hopefully in better weather for it; it was a bit dry at the time).
- Justin
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Re: 2015 Highlights (Northeast, KS & FL) - (same as main for
Fantastic post, Justin! It made me remember just how much i'm dying to visit the NJ pines next year! Everything about this post was amazing, especially the milk snake diversity you saw. I'm also jealous of your worm snakes, since i have such a hard time finding those lol.
-Alex
-Alex
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Re: 2015 Highlights (Northeast, KS & FL) - (same as main for
Thanks Alex!
I feel pretty lucky to have seen so many things in the pines this year. Worm Snakes can be pretty abundant in the Pines, but they're pretty cool to find.
- Justin
I feel pretty lucky to have seen so many things in the pines this year. Worm Snakes can be pretty abundant in the Pines, but they're pretty cool to find.
- Justin