Hello my fellow milkheads,
As a few of you know, I returned home this past week from a nice long venture through southern Louisiana. Although most of the trip was aimed at some nice relaxation time with the wife, I was determined to slip in a "little" herping as well while I was there. Being a seasoned field herper, not only was I sure to see many of the reptiles that can be found throughout that part of the state, I was really hoping to come across some locality Louisiana milks as well. Our first destination was to the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, reputed to be one of the most haunted homes in America. The two night stay came as a surprise birthday gift from my wife as well as another two additional days down in New Orleans for the 311 Day concert and celebration.
The six day trip and experience is another story in itself. Here are just a few pictures from the beautiful Myrtles Plantation.
The amphibians were out in full force and made their presence known while at the plantation, but the cool temperatures we experienced definitely kept most of the herps hidden from view. Only a few water turtles were seen crossing roads around town and the only other herps we observed were DOR (dead on road) nerodia (water snakes) when we made our way east of Baton Rouge into New Orleans. Although I wanted to get down south of New Orleans to some of the wildlife management areas to look for herps most of my time was spent following my wife around from shop to shop, eating in the French Quarter and then getting ready to embark on a five hour concert along with 14,000 other fans who made the trip.
Driving back home was just as uneventful as making the trip in. Again, due to the cooler temps, only a few more turtles and a few road killed snakes were seen. Although a little disappointed that I didn't find many herps traveling across the state, I had to again remind myself that this wasn't a true "herping" trip to begin with. I relaxed and smiled as I made the long drive home.....knowing that it would soon be warming up. Even though I didn't come across any "Louisiana" milks while in Louisiana, I was sure that a few awaited my return home.
Over the past few weeks, spring has finally emerged. With the forest turning green and the pollens driving one's allergies crazy, the snakes have finally decided to make themselves known. This past Saturday, I packed up and drove a little east of town to meet up with my good friend and herping buddy Robert Edwards. We spent most of the day combing through our favorite spots in hopes of finding a few brightly colored triangulum.
A few habitat shots
Flipping over debris, dead logs, carpet, tin and boards is one of the best ways to find herps during this time of year.
Piles of tin can produce several copperheads, 4 were found that afternoon.
Big piles of old boards can a great spot to find Texas Ratsnakes.
Here is one (in shed) of the four large adults we discovered, and Robert getting its picture below.
Another Texas Ratsnake
Open habitat as this can be home to the beautiful Buttermilk Racers.
In some of the areas, coral snakes can be quite common. Here is one that Robert had found earlier in the morning.
An entire day spent looking for herps is great in general but lifting up a piece of carpet to find this makes the work definitely worth it, a female amaura
And then to walk over to another place a minute away, flip and find this....just makes your day; a male amaura
Overall, we had a great outing. With the temperatures slowly warming up, hopefully there will be many, many more milks to be found. Thanks for looking....hope everyone had a better easter than this poor bunny found dead on the road....LOL!
Nathan Wells
