SC Reptile and Amphibians

RECENT OBSERVATIONS

June 2003

Gene's notes

Week ending 06-29-03

Late Thursday afternoon (06-26-03) my granddaughter and I checked out the Blackberries. There are berries in abundance this year, but I could not pick them faster than she ate them.

Saturday morning (06-28-03) my granddaughter accompanied me on a trip into Laurens to pickup some cleaning. I enticed her to go by telling her we would look for turtles on the road. It was rainy morning, but I hoped the sun would peek through to entice turtles to move about. We were almost back home before we found our first, and only turtle, an Eastern Box Turtle. I figured this would be the highlight of our trip, but just as we entered the clearing near home, we saw a Coyote trotting along the road.

Sunday evening(06-29-03) was warm and humid. I thought it would be a good night to road cruise for snakes. I set out during twilight. I cruised for over an hour before finding my first snake, a baby Black Rat Snake. About 20 minutes later I found a small Eastern Worm Snake. And just before quitting, I found an immature Copperhead.

Gene Ott

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Joey's notes

Week ending 06-29-03

As for being outdoors, I have flipped a fair bit of tin, run a few traps, even been to the pond several times. The snakes have been hard to come by. Rat Snakes still show up as road kills often. Visits to the pond reveal a lot of emerging frogs. Tons of Cricket Frogs. Good numbers of Green Treefrogs and even a few Gray Treefrogs are also to be seen in the evenings. All three species, and Narrowmouth toads are calling as well. Tiger Beetles (rufiventris and punctulata) abound on our campus.

Monday (6-23-03), Checked my traps at the pond and had a small Redbelly Watersnake. Checked my tin at home and found a Southern Ringneck Snake. Collected our first Cicindela rufiventris of the year at work.

Tuesday (6-24-03), Collected some Tiger Beetles to send a friend (punctulata, rufiventris and sexguttata) as well as some other nice beetles on campus. An evening run to the local store gave me a nice female Hercules Beetle. Fish, tadpoles, and frogs were in my traps at the pond.

Wednesday (6-25-03), On the way to work I found another female Hercules Beetle at a local gas station.

Thursday (6-26-03), My morning rounds of the gas stations revealed two crushed male Hercules Beetles and two live females. Later, outside with my class we found a Black Racer and a newborn Midland Watersnake. Seems kind of early in the year, but it was too small to be one from last year. After work, I had a chance to walk around a little at the pond with two friends as they visited the area. We found the frogs (as expected) and a Southern Ringneck Snake.

Friday (6-27-03), On the AM rounds I found a female Giant Stag Beetle at a gas station.

Saturday (6-28-03), Moved a Black Rat Snake off the road.

Sunday (6-29-03), Found another male Hercules Beetle CRUSHED at the local gas, a crushed male Stag Beetle at another location, and a healthy female Hercules. Been a busy week for beetles. Getting up at 4:30 and driving to the various stations before sunrise is rough. Oh well, I will sleep later. One thing I have done is run the UV light trap. I have also put out another lure for male Hercules Beetles; females! I have some wire cages and in them placed female Hercules Beetles and half a banana, then put these near my lights. Still no live males! What do they want? I am giving them light! Bananas! Females! and still they are not coming. They had rather go to the gas stations and get run over and stepped on. My luck has got to change soon.

Joey Holmes

Gene's notes

Week ending 06-22-03

This week has been a good week. Saturday and Sunday were absolutely gorgeous. Box Turtles continue to cross roads, some surviving, some not. Newly emerged Fowler's Toads are hopping all about the yard. Blackberries are ripening and Trumpeter Vines blooming.

Firday (06-19-03), when I got home after work, my granddaughter begged me to take to find a snake. We looked under boards behind the tractor shed. Our second board revealed a Brown Snake. I let her pick it up. Sometimes, even herpers get lucky.

Friday (06-20-03) I saw 2 Black Racers, at different times, crossing the road near home.

Saturday (06-21-03) a fledgling Brownheaded Cowbird begged food from its stolen mother, a Chipping Sparrow. I tired to get pictures of the pair, but the mother was too wary.

On Sunday(06-22-03) while loading the trash to take to the greenboxes, I caught a female Deer Mouse and her juvenile offspring. I was able to get some good pictures of dragonflies and butterflies.

Gene Ott

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Joey's notes

Week ending 06-22-03

Not much going on here. My time outdoors seems to be fairly limited these days, but nature is kind and has offered me some memorable events.

Monday (6-16-03), Work and such.

Tuesday (6-17-03), At work, we walked in the woods a bit. We found an Eastern Worm Snake, under tin, and a Black Racer. There was also a female Giant Stag Beetle under the lights on campus when I arrived.

Wednesday (6-18-03), Again, at work, found another Eastern Worm Snake and a Midland Water Snake.

Thursday (6-19-03), Out rambling after dark, on a dark and stormy night, I stopped by the gas station and found two female Hercules Beetles. One had been stepped on and crushed, the other was alive and well. First of the year.

Friday (6-20-03), I made the rounds of several gas stations prior to reporting in at work. Found another female Hercules Beetle.

Saturday (6-21-03), Summer Solstice. Lots to do, but I did make it by the pond and put out some minnow traps. It will be interesting to see what swims in.

Sunday (6-22-03), It was late in the day when I got the chance to go to the pond.and check the traps. Had tons of tadpoles and two Green Frogs. All released unharmed.

Joey Holmes

Gene's notes

Week ending 06-15-03

I did not do any real herping this week, but observed what passed my way. The number of DOR Black Rat Snakes that I am seeing has reduced considerably. I have seen numerous female Eastern Box Turtles on the roads.

Wednesday (06-11-03) I had the raw opportunity to combine work with my photography hobby. An industrial client wanted some pictures of a wildlife area on its property for use in a brochure. I drew the assignment. I enjoyed getting out of the office and into the field. It was a very hot, humid afternoon of work, though. The site had several Wood Duck nesting boxes, and I hoped to get some pictures of ducks, or maybe a Black Rat Snake raiding a box. No such luck.

At home that evening, I decided to relocate the Opossum that had begun making a habit of raiding the cat's food. Just after dark, I heard its bumping noise. I picked it up by its tail and placed it in an empty trash can. The next morning I carried about a mile away and released it.

My son, Win, will be making a presentation on reptiles and amphibians to a 4H group next week. He asked me to pickup some specimens. During the week I caught an adult Leopard Frog, a Box Turtle, a Mud Turtle, and a Musk Turtle.

Saturday morning (06-14-03), my 2.5 year old granddaughter, who was visiting for the weekend, found an adult, male Southeastern Five-lined Skink on the terrace. Later, my wife and I took her to the Greenville Zoo. It was a great day. My granddaughter loved all the exhibits and enjoyed playing with the many other children her age who were visiting too.

Sunday (06-15-03), Win paid me a Fathers' Day visit. While showing him the specimens I had for him, my granddaugher reached down suddenly and picked up the adult female Box Turtle. The startled turtle immediately withdrew and closed its shell. Unfortunately, one of my granddaughter's fingers was caught between the carapace and rear plastron. She screamed. I quickly tried to prise the shell open with my fingers but could not. Fortunately, a pair of plyers was handy and I was able to lever open the shell enough to free her finger.

Gene Ott

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Joey's notes

Week ending 06-15-03

This week has been typical June weather. Hot. Humid. Afternoon clouds turning to thundershowers most days. Snakes are moving, and hardly a day goes by without me finding a DOR Black Ratsnake. Copperheads are starting to turn up also. Box Turtles, called to activity by the weather, are getting hit a lot as well. Sad.

The moon has been bright, when visible through the clouds. The cloud cover has contributed to some Beetle collecting success this week.

Monday (6-9-03), I arrived at work, and, checking the canoe that sits under a big light on campus (acting as a giant trap) I found a nice male Giant Stag Beetle. I picked it up, carried it inside my classroom, and found a larger, male, Giant Stag in a container on my table. One of the boys had found it and put it in there for me. As the day went by we collected Tiger Beetles, Cicindela punctulata on campus. We also got four eggs from a Bairds Ratsnake we keep in our classroom.

Tuesday (6-10-03), Walking on campus, we found two Eastern Worm Snakes and a Midland Watersnake. When I got home, I checked my tin and found a Southern Ringneck.

Wednesday (6-11-03), Found a very nice Smooth Earth Snake on campus, about 24 hours after shipping a smaller one to a friend for photographs. That is the way it goes sometimes.

Thursday (6-12-03), Strolling sleepily into work with a co-worker, I was paying no attention to the ground, when he made a sudden noise and jumped. The kind of stuff that would make James Brown proud! I looked on the ground and saw a very frightened Eastern Kingsnake. Picked it up and bagged it. Later, I had my class probe it, measure it, and photocopy the belly pattern. We then released it on campus. After lunch we watched a digger wasp prepare a hole and drag a stunned caterpillar down, then seal off the hole with tiny rocks and dirt. Very cool stuff.

Friday (6-13-03), Indoors, we got six more Bairds Ratsnake eggs from our other female. Outdoors, finding a Southern Ringneck Snake on campus was neat, but later I was out on errands after dark and took a few minutes to stop by the gas station to check for bugs. Found another male Giant Stag Beetle (3rd one this week), and it was on one of those cloudy/rainy/stormy nights! Great find!

Saturday (6-14-03), I had very little time outdoors but did manage to check my tin and found a Southern Ringneck Snake.

Sunday (6-15-03), Happy Fathers Day to all you who are fathers. I cherish my role as a dad. I also miss being able to hug my father, thank him for all he taught me and did for me, and tell him how much I appreciate his wisdom and love him. Grief seems to never really end. This was also the first Fathers Day since my wife lost her dad. We had to do something to shake off the sorrow, so, the Holmes family (my wife, son, and myself) went to the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. Just went up for lunch. Tried a new place. Barbeque of course. Good food, slow service. Oh well. Did see some Groundhogs along the way. One can never tire of these massive rodents!

Joey Holmes

Gene's notes

Week ending 06-08-03

I saw several DOR Black Rat Snakes and Black Racers and several AOR Mud Turtles and Box Turtles while commuting this week.

On Tuesday (06-03-03) at work I photographed 3 Whitetail Deer near a sediment control pond.

Saturday night (06-07-03) I stopped at a roadside ditch that has been filled with water all Spring. The whines of Eastern Narrowmouth Toads, interspersed with the trills of Gray Tree Frogs, filled the air. In the grass-filled ditch, I had a difficult time spotting the amphibians. But with diligence, I did find a pair of the toads in amplexus. A large Bullfrog floated silently in the ditch.

When I returned home, a large Opossum was eating the cat's food. The Opossum did not have the decency to run away. It just stood there, grinning and drooling.

Late Sunday afternoon (06-08-03) my wife saw a Coyote trailing an adult doe Whitetail Deer across our driveway.

Gene Ott

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Joey's notes

Week ending 06-08-03

Been very busy this week. After a busy weekend, chasing kayaks and watersnakes, I had even more time outdoors ahead. Lots of stuff moving, and Black Racers, Black Ratsnakes, Eastern Kingsnakes, and Eastern Box Turtles have all been geeting nailed on the roads locally. Such a shame.

Monday (6-2-03), At work, the boys and I found a Red-Bellied Snake under some tin. After work, my friend Mike, his son, and I got together for some bug hunting. They were in the southeast from the west coast, and had arranged to stop by. We had hopes for Giant Stag Beetles, Hercules Beetles, and some of the larger Moths. We went to the pasture, where I checked some minnow traps/funnel traps and was able to show them a small Midland Watersnake. Then we set up generators, two mercury-vapor lights, two black-lights, and my my black-light trap. We got tons of small stuff in, and a few large moths, but nothing special. After we took the lights down, we checked some of the stores/gas stations. No Stags.

Tuesday (6-3-03), After a busy day at work, I met up with Mike and his son again. It seemed a bit wet/rainy/cool so we opted not to set up the lights. They worked the stores/gas stations, and I came on home to rest. It just did not seem like a good night for collecting.

Wednesday (6-4-03), I arrived at work, looked in the canoe I placed under the big light on campus, and there it was! My first Giant Stag Beetle of the year! They had been active on a cool/rainy night after all! After work, I gave it to Mike and his son. Then we hit the bushes. We caught a few Tiger Beetles (Cicindela sexguttata, C. tranquebarica, and C. repanda), and other assorted bugs. Found a Southern Ringneck Snake under some debris in Laurens County. In Spartanburg County, stopping at a store to get some drinks, we found a crushed Giant Stag Beetle! Mike vowed to glue it up and make a good specimen. After sunset we had the lights set up in the pasture but again, no major success.

Thursday (6-5-03), Another day at work. A fellow came by and donated a Uromastyx Lizard to my classroom collection. Neat creature. Later, the boys and I walked and flipped tin finding only an Eastern Worm Snake for our efforts. After work, Mike and his son spent a little more time outdoors with me then they departed. I really enjoyed their visit, and learned a lot by watching the way they set up and worked the lights.

Friday (6-6-03), After work, I saw a good chance to catch up on lost sleep. Bugging late and then getting up early make a rough combination.

Saturday (6-7-03), Helped my wife tape and photograph a wedding. I would love to learn more about using a camcorder to help tape some of the neat insects I am finding. I could even learn more about editing and add data (species/date/location) to the tape to enrich its scientific value. Maybe even sound effects or music? What goes good with Beetles? Beatles?

Sunday (6-8-03), Took a nice nap after church.

Joey Holmes



June 30, 2003
Contact: South Carolina Reptiles and Amphibians


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