Mark H Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 My son just returned from a weekend camping trip in Shawnee National Forest at the southern end of the state. And took these pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Smith Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Love the timber rattler and toad eggs, Mark! Nice shots! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve S. Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Going down to Shawnee with my daughter in a couple of days. Hopefully the nice weather will hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Clifford Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Looks like some tasty morsels for fish..... Remind me never to take a leisurely stroll through that tract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Negronida Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 The photo of the snake is beautiful, how it is camouflaged is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H Posted March 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Thanks guys. It is a thrill seeing one. This is a good time of year to find them. They did not see this one until they were almost on top of it. Then they heard the rattle. You can see the rattles in the pic. I counted seven buttons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve S. Posted April 3, 2007 Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 Just a few random pictures from our trip downstate. Mark - those toad eggs are all tadpoles now and things are "greening" up rather nicely. Eastern Box Turtle Cottonmouth Dwarf American Toad Fowler's Toad Green Treefrog Black Kingsnake Marbled Salamander Mole Salamander Smallmouth Salamander Spring Peeper Six-lined Racerunner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H Posted April 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 Steve, Those are some terrific photos!! What type of camera did you use? I bet your daughter really enjoyed her trip. Where did you take the pics? I stopped to visit my parents Wed/Thur on my way to Nashville. Things were really greening up...the dogwoods were just beginning to bloom. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg S Posted April 3, 2007 Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 I love the little green frog. Great camoflauge (spelling?). Good pic of rattler. Freaks me out. I thought they were super shy. Gregg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve S. Posted April 3, 2007 Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 Mark I used a Nikon D50. I really need to learn how to operate this camera. I'm still having trouble applying what I study. We had a great time indeed. It is nice to see that at 15, she still gets excited when she finds a new creature. We visited several parks in the east region of the forest, and also "Snake Road", though it rained heavily that afternoon which created a shortage of snakes. It really is a beautiful area and we only scratched the surface on our short visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H Posted April 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 It looks like you have that Nikon D50 down pretty good to me Steve. Glad to hear your daughter enjoys the outdoors. It is nice to share the joy of nature with kids. Were you referring to the Snake Road in the LaRue-Pine Hills area? That is on the west side of the forest. I grew up in Harrisburg so I know the eastern half pretty well. Let me know if you ever have any questions and I would be happy to point you in the right direction. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve S. Posted April 3, 2007 Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 That is on the west side of the forest. DUH! I meant west side. Actually, one place we visited was Cache River, which I think might be east or middle section. Anyway, yes we were in Larue-Pine Hills. Its hard to imagine an area like that being in IL. I hope to be back in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H Posted April 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 I agree it is much different than most of the rest of the state. 280,000 acres provides some fairly remote spots. The eastern side is less-populated with quaint old river towns. It is beautiful in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick G Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Steve, is that a cottonmouth or a copperhead? I thought the cottonmouth was a dark, almost black snake with the white throat-known also as the water moccasin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don R Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Awesome photos Steve I believe you're right Dick. Here's a link to a photo of a copperhead http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/copperh.htm And here's the cottonmouth http://www.wf.net/~snake/moccasin.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H Posted April 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Full grown cottonmouths are usually very dark...almost black however Steve is correct...it is an Eastern Cottonmouth. Copperheads are usually lighter in color, shorter, thicker with broader bands and wider heads. There are plenty of both in Shawnee. http://www.chameleoncounters.com/venomous/...cottonmouth.jpg http://www.eitangrunwald.com/SC3-04/SC3-04...opperhead1c.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve S. Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Larue-Pine Hills Bluffs The snake is a young cottonmouth. Another neat characteristic to note in both young cottonmouths and copperheads is the yellow tipped tail. They use this to lure in small prey to feed on. They lose the yellow coloring as they mature. I guess they are some of nature's original "fishermen". Eric The marbled is my favorite salamander of all. The photograph you noted is a favorite for me as well. I wish the picture had a little bit better depth of field. I love this time of the year. Herping is a great "distraction" for me in the spring once spawning season kicks in for our smallmouths (and other gamefish). Herping and fishing have a lot in common. Herpers don't like to publish their "spots" as well, due to possible exploitation of delicate populations by poachers or unknowingly negligent enthusiasts. This is especially true in the Chicagoland area, where populations of certain species are dwindling or disappearing every year. The cricket frog used to be one of the most common species of frogs in Illinois. Now it is absent from most of the northern third to half of the state. Cricket Frog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don R Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 I sit corrected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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