Snake Rd Report w/ lots of pics

[shaggybill]

I left from Cincinnati on Thursday night at 10 pm and got to Snake Rd at 4:30 am Friday. After sleeping a few hours, I began walking around 9:00 am. I got at least halfway down the road before I saw anything at all, and of course the first thing found was a cottonmouth. Before I got to the end of the road, I had counted nearly 30 cottons. I stayed until Monday evening, and by the time I left, I had seen 101 snakes. Here are my numbers.

Cottonmouths - 70
Black Rat - 4
Ribbon Snakes - 5
Black Kingsnake - 1
Mississippi Green - 6 (5 in one day!)
Timber Rattlers - 3
Yellowbelly Water Snakes - 7
Rough Green Snake - 1
Black Racer - 2
Possible Mud Snake - 1 (black with red belly, but got to water before I could make positive ID. Large snake.)
Northern Redbelly Snake - 1

First picture is of a rough green snake. This guy was super cool.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/RoughGreen.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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I couldnt believe I found 6 Mississippi Greens. Thanks to Mike for the first one. I was way ahead of him and he sent someone to get me so I could see it. Here's a few pictures of them...
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/MissGreen1.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/MissGreen3.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/MissGreenFace.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Snake Road
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/snake_rd.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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15 inch Black Rat snake
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/rat-snake.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Nice-looking Cottonmouth
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/cotton_1.jpg" width=600 height=450>
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These cottons can be hard to spot in the leaves on the road, especially when you are looking off to the side of the road.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/Cotton_n_road.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Black racer showing some attitude. (surprise, surprise)
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/racer.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Cottonmouth headed for den
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/cotton_2.jpg" width=600 height=450>
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Neonate Northern Redbelly snake. This little guy was smaller than my middle finger.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/neo-redbelly.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Black Kingsnake found on Muddy Levee Road near the RR tracks.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/kingsnake.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Now for the Timber Rattlers. Mike found this first one, and I wouldnt have seen it if he hadnt sent someone after me.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/Timber1.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/timber2.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Me and the timber. An incredible snake. He didnt rattle the entire time.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/Me_and_timber.jpg" width=480 height=640>
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My face was within inches of this Timber while I was looking in a different crack. Scared the crap out of me when I saw it.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/Timber3.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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And now some habitat and scenery shots...
Here are some bluffs that run parallel to Snake Rd.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/bluffs_1.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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This is the view from atop those bluffs from above. Obviously stitched together, but cool nonetheless. The original 4000 x 1000 pixel looks much cooler than this 800 x 100.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/panorama.jpg" width=800 height=195>
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Farmland, swamps, and then the bluffs...
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/507948/farmland.jpg" width=640 height=480>
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Thats it. Hope you enjoyed the pics.

[JonD]

WOW!! those are amazing!!! nicely done!

[Artemis]

Looks like an awesome field trip to me. Forgive the ignorance, but where exactly is snake road? Both the snakes and the scenery look amazing!

Artemis

[Brent Strande]

Looks like a great outing!

[jim mcallister]

that's nothin man... I found 2 garters and a red bellied this summer lol.....Your making me wish i lived south....nice find!

[Siretsap]

Damn so many species you can find in your area. Have extra space in your house for 2 of us? ;-) I would love to do some herping over there.
lol

[shaggybill]

This place isnt near my house. I had to drive 6 hours to get there. This place is in southern Illinois where a prairie meets a 2 1/2 mile long bluff. There is a road that runs alongside the entire length of the bluff and is known to the locals as Snake Road, which is closed every Spring and Fall to allow multiple thousands of reptiles to migrate across this road, going either to or from these bluffs which they use as a hibernaculum. These bluffs make it possible for many snakes that would normally only be found in warmer climates to survive the cold winters, and thus represents the northernmost regions for many species of reptiles.

It is awesome and definitely worth the drive...

[VI Reptiles]

I went to this quarry near my house for a fun day of field herping and brought home 10 nice garter snakes and 4 alligator lizards! It was fun and the trip only lasted 1 hour!

[Edwin]

very cool, thanks for sharing!

[vanderkm]

Incredible shots - so great for you to see these guys as nature intended - really appreciate you sharing. Love that timber rattlers and the kingsnake is gorgeous!

mary v.

[Vanan]

Originally posted by VI Reptiles
I went to this quarry near my house for a fun day of field herping and brought home 10 nice garter snakes and 4 alligator lizards! It was fun and the trip only lasted 1 hour!

Tsk tsk! Bad bad. Admitting to doing an illegal act is stupid. Or dya even know that it's illegal to possess, let alone collect, any garters and northern alligator lizards in BC. I do hope you plan on releasing them soon.

[nburgmei]

After reading your post I couldn't help, but make a trip to Snake Road myself. Unfortunately I didn't have as much time as you, but things still turned out well.

I only got to spend about six hours on snake road, but it was a good six hours. Here's what we found.

12 cottonmouths
3 yellow-bellied water snakes
4 Mississippi green water snakes
4 western ribbon snakes
1 neonate red-belly snake
+
1 eastern fence lizard
1 five-lined skink

Not quite as good as your few days, but still good. I would have loved to have been able to add timber rattlers, black racers, and mud snakes to that list.

A mud snake had been found the previous two days before I got there.

[shaggybill]

Wow, Thats a pretty good list for only being there for six hours.

How far is it from where you live to Snake Rd?

[nburgmei]

It's around a six hour drive for me.

I actually live less than two hours away from you, probably less. I'm from Vernon, IN. That's about 1 1/2 hours west of Cincy, 40 minutes north of Madison, 30 minutes south of Columbus, and 15 minutes east of Seymour...just for some reference.

[dia]

Wonderful photos.
We have a Snake Road around here, but it's just a service road...
Strangely enough it's one of the favorite places for locals to dump unwanted animals. One of the guys I work with found a beautiful [but slightly scared from probable live feeding] female ball python about this time last year.
I found my cat there too. She was in a pillow case with her 3 siblings. Poor little dear was the only one that lived.

Your snake road is a lot more... pleasant.