Del Rio, Texas.
"I've always regarded nature as the clothing of God." -Alan Havhamess
Where to start? Well I think I should start at age 4, one of my earliest memories, and definitely my first snake memory. I recall standing on the side of our house in Little Rock one summer morning. My father had stopped mowing and drew my attention to a tiny creature he had captured and was harboring in his hands. It was a tiny garter snake. I can't recall exactly what he told me about this little snake, but he surely planted a seed that continues to grow within. Even today, nearly 21 years later, I still replay the excitement for snakes that I felt for the first time so long ago.....
For the past 10 years I’ve heard herpers praising the landscape and diverse flora and fauna that Southern Texas had to offer. Three months earlier a gentlemen named Earl Turner had invited me to his home in Val Verde co. Tx to do some herping. I had really enjoyed talking to this fellow in the past and was honored to make this trip. Keep in mind this was to be my first trip to the West.
I headed out to Del Rio, Tx. to meet Earl and Anna Turner for the first time. As I made it out of San Antonio, the sun broke the Eastern horizon giving birth to an alien landscape. At this point fatigue gave way to excitement as rolling hills and rocky out-croppings became very abundant. Everything was so different here. I kept fighting urges to stop and explore my new surroundings. I guess time has taught me a little discipline because had this trip been executed a week prior, I very well may not have made it to my destination. I pressed on.
Once I arrived in Del Rio, I checked in to a hotel for a little shut-eye. Sleep was very welcome, but somewhat difficult as anticipation fought to keep me awake. 1500 arrived and I made a call to Earl seeking directions to his home. I met up with Earl at the end of his street, exchanged a firm handshake and followed him to his house. We pulled up to a beautiful Spanish style home that overlooked Lake Amistad, a truly breathtaking view that extended well into Mexico.
Earl introduced me to his wife lovely wife Anna and then invited me into the back room, which opened up into an impressive miniature museum. I’ve got to say it was nothing short of awesome. Artifacts and pictures were everywhere. Earl has one of the most impressive set-ups that I’ve ever seen. The room was filled with lots of great animals. Most notably were his Central American, South American and Black Headed Bushmasters. A species that he has successfully managed to breed for the past several years. Everyone has their specialty and Earl’s is definitely the Bushmasters.
After we ate dinner, Earl gave me a hand-drawn map of the Hot spots that he wanted me to cruise. I thanked Anna for the great meal, shook Earl’s hand again and headed out. I was really excited to be there. Earl and Anna were very kind and the anxiety of meeting them for the first time was gone. I’m not sure how, but I knew they would become life-long friends.
As I headed out to the first spot, I came to a Border Patrol checkpoint. The officer asked about my nationality and destination. He smiled and looked a little surprised that I drove all the way from Louisiana to hunt for snakes, a reaction that I was accustomed to, but waved me through and even wished me luck.
Once I arrived at the first stop I immediately found a DOR male Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. He had been intentionally run over and stripped of his rattles. Most probably for some sort of a trophy, a practice that makes herpers from the Atlantic to the Pacific cringe. I kicked him off the road shoulder so that I would not mistake him for a live specimen and continued on my way. Luckily he would be the only DOR I’d run across this trip.
As I rounded a turn and made my way over a fairly large hill I came across a Texas Tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi) that was trying desperately to make it across the road. It was a small female. What a cool find! Excitedly, I jumped into the car and continued on. A little further down I came across the first live snake of the night. It was a juvenile Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), a little female. I was really surprised at how small this specimen was. It was no longer than 10 inches. I thought for sure that they would be as large as the baby Canebrakes I caught two weeks prior. Had I not been cruising at a whopping 15mph I surely would’ve missed this little gem. Either way I was real excited that I could add another snake to my life list!
About 30 minutes later I spotted another little snake crossing the pavement and sure enough it was another C. atrox and only an inch longer than the first. The night was turning out to be real good. At around midnight the wind picked up and the night cooled to about 65 degrees. It was like someone flicked the light switch. Conditions were not conducive for collecting. Despite the change in weather I continued shining rock cuts. I came across one more female Tarantula and with the exception of a few yellow millipedes that was all I would find this night. I headed back to the hotel for some sleep.
The next morning, I checked out of my hotel and headed out to Evans Creek, an area that had caught my eye the day before. Evans Creek was an old dry creek bed with huge bluffs on the East side and a somewhat navigable path on the West side. As I made my way down the to the bottom of the creek bed I couldn’t help but to notice that all of the plants that were very well equipped with thorns. I cursed at them a bit but continued on to the other side. In a crevasse, I spotted a Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata), a large, and as the name would suggest, Black moth with violet pinstripes. These moths migrate up from Mexico and are known as “mariposa de la muerte” or the “butterfly of death”. This specimen had only begun its journey, since Mexico was only 4 miles away. I’d seen this species in the handy-dandy Petersons field guide but never in person and I’ve got to say that I was pretty impressed.
As I approached the rock wall I felt a presence and looked up just in time to see a large Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) taking flight. I’m sure he had been watching me the whole time but felt threatened as I approached his perch. I thanked him for the experience and continued on. As I paralleled the bluff, I flipped a few choice rocks finding only a few cactus beetles. I flipped the only piece of trash I could find and located a little male Texas Banded Gecko (Coleonyx brevis). Talk about an undeniably cute gecko.
I departed the creek and headed back to the Turner’s house to meet up and tell of the night’s prosperities. Earl and I sat in the dining room enjoying a cup of coffee when Earl jumped up and said PAUL GRAB YOUR TONGS! We both jumped up as one of his dogs “The Black Banshee” was chasing an 8” Giant centipede (Scolopendra heros) across the patio. I ran to the car to get my 24” tongs and returned to capture the centipede before injury could be inflicted on either party. South Texas is an entomologist’s paradise.
Earl, Anna and I sat down to dine on some baby back ribs and after dinner I headed out once again to test my luck. Once on the road I cruised and cruised and cruised some more. It had gotten cold early this evening and with the exception of two Tarantulas and a Couch’s Spade foot (Scaphiopus couchii) animal movement would be minimal at best. I was pretty tired and decided to pull over on the side of the road to catch an hours rest. I woke up and headed to the Turner’s home to take advantage of the bed that had my name written all over it.
The next evening Earl and I decided that it’d be too cool for the snakes to be moving so we decided to bum around the house. We enjoyed some good Authentic Mexican food, Definitely NOT from Taco Bell! And I’ll tell ya, I could Barely get up from the table I was so full. We all sat around talking, enjoying the company and eventually called it a night.
I woke up, downed some coffee and headed back to Louisiana. I felt completely refreshed and although my time here was short I’ve already been invited back. An invitation that I will surely take advantage of. I’ve got to say that I’ve been blessed with great friends. Earl and Anna were nothing less than wonderful. I look forward to the getting back out to Del Rio here in the near future.
Thank you.
I’ll end the story on this note-
"Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence"-Sydney Smith
Till next time....
Paul Bollinger
