Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

After getting back from Peru in late January, I didn’t get out in the field again until early March, as February was brutal in terms of ice, wind and snow, and anyway I was busy processing three thousand pictures of Amazonia. In early March, Peter Berg, Marty Whalin and I finally got in a camping trip originally slated for the first weekend of December but thwarted by an early blizzard.
Image

The spot is in southeastern Illinois, and is a great place to camp and hike and herp.
Image

We can always count on Eurycea cirrigera, even when little else is out and about.
Image

Later in March, I made a visit to a local pond:
Image

Some ambystomids had already laid their eggs:
Image

One of the odd, all-female hybrid salamonsters, the Silvery Salamander, Ambystoma platineum:
Image

By late March all of the Thamnophis radix in my yard are out and cruising around:
Image

I headed over to Indiana with Don Becker, Peter Berg and Raymond Berg, and we met up with Greg Stephens and Nick Burgmeier for some salamandering.
Image

Later that evening a late snowstorm set in….
Image

But we still managed to see some cool stuff. Here’s an interesting egg mass:
Image

Plenty of newts in the ponds:
Image

Here are some Streamside Salamander (Ambystoma barbouri) larvae, getting ready to drop:
Image

And an adult A. barbouri:
Image

Streamside breeding habitat:
Image

Peter's son Raymond is a pretty good herper.
Image

Aside from Streamsides, the stream sides are good places for other salamanders. Here’s a Zigzag Salamander (Plethodon dorsalis):
Image

and another dorsalis, sporting neither zig nor zag:
Image

Also present are Ravine Salamanders, Plethodon electromorphus:
Image

Another streamside rock yielded a young Nerodia sipedon pleuralis:
Image

We moved on to some wet flatwoods to search for more salamanders:
Image

Like this Hemidactylium scutatum:
Image

I love the subtle colors on these little critters.
Image

Four-Toe eggs:
Image

Don (Psyon) takes data on a creek-side Nerodia sipedon pleuralis:
Image

First Thamnophis sirtalis of the year:
Image

The weather in early April can be fickle where I live, but sunny days bring out the Paints and other critters.
Image

American Toads were calling from the ponds:
Image

Image

During a wet week in late April I made a crazy swing down to southern Illinois with Marty and Tracey, and then over to southern Indiana to catch some seldom-seen amphibians. Box Turtles were out, and we rescued this one off the road:
Image

This old veteran with a wonky limb was found stomping around in the woods:
Image

More rain brought out this Chuck (Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi):
Image

The rains made getting back to the car interesting:
Image

We headed east to some flooded farm fields in Indiana, to see Eastern Spadefoot Toads. Here’s one on the road, freshly emerged from the ground and still sporting a muddy cap:
Image

Image

The big amplexus event was over a few days past, but there were plenty of latecomers anxious to pass on their genes, even if with a different species:
Image

And there were other species present, mostly getting their connections right:
Image

For the life of me I could not get a picture of a calling male Spadefoot. This is as close I could manage.
Image

I’ll wrap this portion up with a few serpents. There’s nothing like cruising the sand prairies in an open boat, the wind in your hair and your eyes searching for sand serpents…
Image

Thar she blows!
Image

That’s no sea serpent, ye landlubber! It’s an Ophisaurus!
Image

Treasure in the sands – a juvie Eastern Milk Snake!
Image

that should do it for now - thanks for looking!
-Mike
User avatar
Andy Avram
Posts: 897
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:37 am
Location: NE Ohio

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Andy Avram »

As always Mike I love the Hot Stove series! But, man, those pictures of early spring with breeding Ambystoma and frogs has me ready for spring. No leaves on the trees yet, wildflowers maybe just starting to crack the ground, egg masses in the ponds, peepers calling... best time of year!
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by monklet »

Great stuff ...I find this one particularly outstanding.
Image
User avatar
ahockenberry
Posts: 362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:46 am
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by ahockenberry »

Awesome post - love the Milk Snake and the Box Turtles - !!
Also - was that a King Snake after the pic of the boat?
User avatar
walk-about
Posts: 567
Joined: June 14th, 2010, 12:04 pm
Location: 'God's Country' aka western KY
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by walk-about »

Awesome post Mr. Pingleton! Loved the puffed up Anaxyrus.

Rock ON!
Soro
Posts: 39
Joined: June 6th, 2011, 8:24 pm

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Soro »

This is the perfect post for this time of the year-- it gets me anxious for what I will (hopefully) be experiencing in a short few months.

I especially enjoy posts from the veteran herpers: those who have had the time and experience to find many different haunts for many different species. I've only actively been at this for a few years now, and it makes me optimistic for the years to come.
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

Andy Avram wrote:As always Mike I love the Hot Stove series! But, man, those pictures of early spring with breeding Ambystoma and frogs has me ready for spring. No leaves on the trees yet, wildflowers maybe just starting to crack the ground, egg masses in the ponds, peepers calling... best time of year!


thanks, Andy. I've learned to appreciate late winter and early spring for those same reasons.

-Mike
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

Monklet, thanks - that one is one of my favorites.

Walkabout, thanks as always!
ahockenberry wrote:Awesome post - love the Milk Snake and the Box Turtles - !!
Also - was that a King Snake after the pic of the boat?
Oops, sorry - that's Pituophis catenifer sayi.

-Mike
User avatar
ThatFrogGuy
Posts: 744
Joined: April 15th, 2011, 1:29 pm
Location: Southern Indiana
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by ThatFrogGuy »

Great post! :thumb: I love the spades!
joeysgreen
Posts: 523
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 9:09 pm
Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by joeysgreen »

Super excellent Mike!

Ian
User avatar
Josh Holbrook
Posts: 2196
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:11 am
Location: Western North Carolina
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Josh Holbrook »

Awesome! Spring herping is certainly a beautiful thing - seeing the firstfruits of the new year. . .
RobK

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by RobK »

First pic looks like a great winter camping spot.
Surprised you didn't throw in a snorkel shot.
Cool to see a diff kind of spadefoot.
User avatar
Don Becker
Posts: 3312
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:21 am
Location: Iowa
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Don Becker »

Wow, that glass lizard actually has a nice full original tail.
User avatar
Carl Brune
Posts: 488
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:22 am
Location: Athens, OH
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Carl Brune »

Nice post, Mike. I really like the shot of the calling American Toad.
User avatar
Nigel Smith
Posts: 268
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 10:52 am
Location: Lexington Kentucky

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Nigel Smith »

Awesome post! Your salamandering skills are commendable. :) This thread has my mouth watering for spring. Thanks for sharing.
mikemike
Posts: 1207
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 1:37 pm
Location: Ft. Smith, Arkansas
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by mikemike »

Very nice post, Mike!
Tamara D. McConnell
Posts: 2248
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

The Hot Stove stuff is so much fun! I love the spadefoot in amplexus with the non-spadefoot.
User avatar
peterknuteberg
Posts: 191
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 5:51 am
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by peterknuteberg »

Mike, this was an excellent post highlighting some of the herping aspects of Spring which are unique, like those egg masses hanging above the pond with snow on top or those barbouri larvae clinging to the rocks just above the stream.

I love this photo and think I recall when you took it in the flooded hole created by a huge tree that had become uprooted. Uprooted trees can create cool little ecosystems.

Image

I also like the Spring comments, like Andy's--I am already looking forward to Spring, although I am enjoying this mild winter. The seasons make herping interesting here in the midwest. As the snow shot suggests, the weather is unpredictable, but nature endures. Great post Mike. I would love to see some more Bull snakes and a Spadefoot has yet to be found for me. Thanks for taking the time to document what you are seeing and for sharing it with us. :thumb: :thumb:
User avatar
justinm
Posts: 3423
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:26 am
Location: Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by justinm »

Super cool stuff Mike. I'm hoping to be more available this year. I really hated to miss the Snow Dawgs this year. Keep the sallies coming, great shots.
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

RobK wrote:First pic looks like a great winter camping spot.
Surprised you didn't throw in a snorkel shot.
Cool to see a diff kind of spadefoot.
It's a great spot. I suspect humans have been camping there for 4-5 thousand years at least.

New Years Resolution: More submarine shots in 2012!
-Mike
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

Shouldn't you be practicing not getting any sleep, Papa J? :beer:

Let's go get some eagles soon.
justinm wrote:Super cool stuff Mike. I'm hoping to be more available this year. I really hated to miss the Snow Dawgs this year. Keep the sallies coming, great shots.
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

thanks for the comments everyone. Peter, you are correct about the newt coming from the tree hole. Lets go find some bullies this spring.
-Mike
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Ross Padilla »

Great post, Mike. :thumb:
User avatar
Daniel D Dye
Posts: 1220
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:56 pm
Location: New River (Brooker), Florida
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Daniel D Dye »

Another great "Hot Stove" Mike, I particularly like the glass lizard. I found a full-tailed mimic in 2011 that looked a lot like that one. Was yours a slender?
dickbartlett
Posts: 72
Joined: June 25th, 2010, 11:32 am

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by dickbartlett »

As always, a great post, Mike. But my favorite pic is the Bufo americanus in the alga shrouded copse of trunks.
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

Daniel D Dye wrote:Another great "Hot Stove" Mike, I particularly like the glass lizard. I found a full-tailed mimic in 2011 that looked a lot like that one. Was yours a slender?
Thanks, D. Yeah, that was a Western Slender from my home state. I sure would like to see the Mimic and Island glass lizards some day.
-Mike
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

dickbartlett wrote:As always, a great post, Mike. But my favorite pic is the Bufo americanus in the alga shrouded copse of trunks.
thanks, Dick, that's one of my favorites from last year. Sometimes the coolest stuff is close to home!
-Mike
User avatar
Tonia Graves
Posts: 212
Joined: December 8th, 2011, 2:40 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Tonia Graves »

Nice post! I especially like the box turtles & the eastern gartersnake!
User avatar
Dell Despain
Posts: 542
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:08 pm
Location: Montana

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Dell Despain »

Nice Mike, it looks like, from your first photo, that you've found a defendable position. Interesting to see you've got good herping available in cold conditions.

-Dell
User avatar
Kent VanSooy
Posts: 1100
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:51 am
Location: Oceanside

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Kent VanSooy »

Very cool, and I too love that campsite in the first shot! It's interesting how the pattern on your legless lizards is very similar to the Anniella here in CA.
User avatar
DaveR
Posts: 230
Joined: October 9th, 2010, 12:00 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by DaveR »

Very nice. I too liked the box turtle shots. Also...no lifejackets? Remember...safety first.
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

It's an extremely defensible position, reachable only via a dicey bit of cliff hopping (we lower most of our gear with a rope). Why, we could hold off the whole Persian army, unless they have automatic weapons.
Dell Despain wrote:Nice Mike, it looks like, from your first photo, that you've found a defendable position. Interesting to see you've got good herping available in cold conditions.

-Dell
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

Kent VanSooy wrote:Very cool, and I too love that campsite in the first shot! It's interesting how the pattern on your legless lizards is very similar to the Anniella here in CA.
I hadn't thought of that, but you're right - perfect pattern for hanging out in grass. I'd like to see Aniella one of these days.
-Mike
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

DaveR wrote:Very nice. I too liked the box turtle shots. Also...no lifejackets? Remember...safety first.
We have a 'damn the torpedoes' attitude when hunting the Great Bull of the Sands....
User avatar
moloch
Posts: 561
Joined: June 16th, 2010, 1:26 pm

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by moloch »

Excellent report as always, Mike. I am amazed at what you guys find when it is so cold. You guys are tough! It would be hard for me to be motivated and search for herps when it was snowy/icy in the woods.

Regards,
David
User avatar
Carl Koch
Posts: 435
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 pm
Location: West Milwaukee, WI

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Carl Koch »

Awesome selection of sals and eggs, including a splendidly colored normal zig-zag, and I agree 100% on the beautiful complexity of the hemis. Love the Scaphiopus, especially the confused one! The calling male looks a little like a head-on view of a mudskipper. Heckuva tail on that glass liz, too. Thanks!

Carl
User avatar
Cole Grover
Posts: 746
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 10:06 am
Location: Montana

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Cole Grover »

Hot Stove posts are cool! I think we all look forward to them this time of year. How is it, though, that you're able to make winter camping/herping look fun in JANUARY?! That, Mike, is some acomplishment!
User avatar
Marty Whalin
Posts: 43
Joined: June 29th, 2010, 11:31 pm
Location: Hint: It used to be the heart of town.

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Marty Whalin »

Based solely on the fact that I love seeing my name and likeness in "print", this is the best installment of HSH to date.
User avatar
justinm
Posts: 3423
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:26 am
Location: Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by justinm »

Marty I could use your name and likeness a lot more if you'd like that?
User avatar
JAMAUGHN
Posts: 1131
Joined: May 15th, 2011, 12:16 am
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by JAMAUGHN »

Great post! I liked all of it, but esp. the poor, confused Spadefoot.

JimM
User avatar
David O
Posts: 162
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:48 am
Location: NW Ohio
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by David O »

Great stuff, per usual. Especially enjoyed the sand prairie stuff and the barbouri shots.
User avatar
mfb
Posts: 275
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 6:06 am
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by mfb »

Looks like some great herping!

All the photos were great, but I really liked the newt photo. Did you take it with an underwater housing? I just got an underwater housing for my slr, and am looking forward to trying it out this spring.
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by BillMcGighan »

Super
Maybe better yet is that it's right around the corner again, with a little help from a warming trend!!! :)
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

thanks, everyone.

I have a Canon D10, which is waterproof to 30 feet and shock resistant to four feet. It does a pretty good job, but I'd like to come up with a light rig for low-light aquatic situations.
-Mike
mfb wrote:Looks like some great herping!

All the photos were great, but I really liked the newt photo. Did you take it with an underwater housing? I just got an underwater housing for my slr, and am looking forward to trying it out this spring.
chad ks
Posts: 634
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 1:31 pm

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by chad ks »

Nice post Mike, thanks. Hope to see you out there. :)
User avatar
Mike Pingleton
Posts: 1471
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:45 am
Location: One of the boys from Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hot Stove Herping Part Two

Post by Mike Pingleton »

chad ks wrote:Nice post Mike, thanks. Hope to see you out there. :)
thanks, Chad. backatcha.
Post Reply