After doing 2012 spring break salamander egg surveys in the north woods (http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11297), I was more than ready to start finding herps (and by-catch) closer to home.



APRIL



Northern redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus).





P4180007 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris L.).





P4210022 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Crayfish with colorful eggs.





P4210052 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Watchful male Canada goose (Branta Canadensis) patrolling near nesting female.





P4210070 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



A common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) eyes me from under the mud.





P4210105 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P4210104 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P4210106 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Water bug with eggs on board.





P4210111 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Tamarack trees (Larix laricina) in Beulah Bog State Natural Area.





P4220007 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Tussock Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum) is found at this bog...





P4220015 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P4220016 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



...as well as purple pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea).





P4220018 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P4220023 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Plank walkway through part of Beulah Bog.





P4220044 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



A May apple (Podophyllum peltatum) prior to unfolding.





P4220050 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



May apple patch.





P4220064 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



MAY



A young female Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) from 5/2.





P5020002 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5020004 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5020017 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Growing up I spent every summer at our family cottage on Sugar Island in the middle of Lower Nemahbin Lake in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) are common in the lake, but I’ve never gotten decent photos of one prior to now. On the night of 5/4 my brothers and I got together at the cottage to hang out, planning to fish the next day. After jawing around the fire pit until the wee hours, my 3 brothers headed off to bed, and I headed to the rocky shoreline to try and net a mudpuppy. I quickly spied this one emerging from a jumble of rocks and bricks.





P5050242 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Though I found 4 that night I was unable to net any, but the next day I caught one while the brothers fished.





P5060424 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Male bullfrog.





P5060452 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



The next weekend I joined Don Becker (psyon) and his son and brother in Illinois to look for western hognose snakes (Heterodon nasicus). Snappers were nesting early this year (5/12)...normally I find them nesting in early June.





P5120469 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Don found a ground nest.





P5120476 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5120475 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Don’s bro found a pair of fox snakes (Pantherophis vulpinus), one of which promptly took off.





P5120480 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



This was a good-sized snake (Don is a good-sized guy .





P5120487 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Owl pellet.





P5120502 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Male ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata).





P5120507 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5120508 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Another ornate, tucked in to a form in the hot part of the afternoon.





P5120510 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5120513 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Male six-lined racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus) in breeding livery.





P5120533 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Another tucked-in ornate...these were sometimes challenging to find.





P5120540 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



After Don & crew left I headed back to see if I could find our target for the day which had eluded us. I was lucky enough to happen upon this western hog out on the crawl.





P5120552 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5120008 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5120014 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Shortly after that another large fox snake made an appearance.





P5120085 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Some type of foxglove.





P5120096 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Female six-lined racerunner, bulging with eggs.





P5120105 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Back on home turf the next evening, I thought these looked cool in the dusk light.





P5130002 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5130006 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



On May 19th our church held a men’s retreat at Harrington Beach State Park. I found a few nicely colored common garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis)...





P5190019 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



...one of which basked on the deck of the building we were renting as it digested a large meal, most likely a frog or toad.





P5190082 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



The view of Lake Michigan was splendid.





P5190035 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Dame’s rocket -- introduced, but pretty (distinguished from Phlox which has 5 petals).





P5190040 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Beautiful eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis).





P5190068 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



A white cedar swamp next to the area we were in...





P5190091 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



...yielded a few blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale)...





P5190094 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



... jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)...





P5190109 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



...and lovely views of lush, fern-filled forest.





P5190136 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



At a pond in the park, painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) basked in thick vegetation.





P5190165 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5190168 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



One of the rarer snakes in Wisconsin is the northern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis) and I was thrilled to find one this season.





P5190186 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5190192 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



At the end of May, my friend Phil Fritsch and his son Avery and I headed out to a spot in central Wisconsin and were met there by my friend Dave Connell. While looking for timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus), I found this Question Mark butterfly

(Polygonia interrogationis) -- thanks for the I.D. Justin Michels and Tim Spuckler!





P5260023 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



These rocks yielded two gravid female timbers.





P5260028 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5260031 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5260036 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



I spooked a bird off this nest and it gave an amazing “broken wing” performance.





P5260041 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5260042 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5260043 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Later the bird returned, revealing itself to be a lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus).





P5260047 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Climbing another bluff, Dave spied a large bull snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) which appeared to be a gravid female. Here’s Avery Fritsch with the big girl.





P5260055 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



And Dave.





P5260062 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



While others held and admired the snake, Dave noticed a hole in the rock face that had a snake track in the sand in the bottom of it. When we released the snake a ways away from the hole, it crawled directly over to it and up the face of the rock into it.





P5260071 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5260073 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Dave dwarfed by an expansive bluff prairie.





P5260076 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



At the end of the day, just as we were walking to the vehicles, I spied this baby bull snake in a bunch of prickly pear cactus...a great way to end a successful day!





P5260085 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5260099 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Back in SE Wisconsin, found this baby fox snake on 5/28...





P5280005 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



...and these eastern hognose snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) on 5/30.





P5300014 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5300015 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5300017 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5300018 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5300020 by Carl Koch, on Flickr





P5300023 by Carl Koch, on Flickr



Next up...June.



Thanks for checkin’ out my post! Hope you’ll check out part 2, “The Boys from California & Hogs Nesting Early”



Carl
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Carl

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