Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live near Manhatten Kansas and really would love to see more than these two kinds of snakes..Where do I look?
And what do you all do about poison Ivy(got it on my first trip out and the leaves were barely showing, kinda puts a damper on my outdoor adventures)..
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Ring necks are probably one of the MOST prominent species where you are and where i live and most of Kansas including numerous counties and specifically of the Flint Hills. At the right time , one can find and see several hundreds if not sometimes thousands of ring necks in a few hours to a full day. Garters are also numerous but not as much so as ring necks. Poison ivory and the other poisonous plants are lacking in most of the Flint Hills if you stick with the hills because of being semi-arid. In fact, in all the years of hunting/looking in Kansas ( before I moved near the Flint Hills ) , I have never got poison ivory compared to places like Missouri. Oh it's there, but normally in water run of areas ( ditches, coverts, creeky areas and more southern and eastern Kansas ) and the few wooded areas of Kansas. Better head out because of the heat of days already upon us that will make looking for herps harder and under larger rocks.

I have hunted near Manhatten many times. You can find milk snakes, speckled kingsnakes, great plains ratsnakes, bullsnakes, ringnecks, lined snakes, flathead snakes, garter and ribbon snakes, great plains skinks, collard lizards, northern prairie skinks, five-lined skinks, box turtles, red-eared sliders, painted turtles, softshell turtles, american toads, bullfrogs, plains leopard frogs, great plains narrow-mouth toads, chorus frogs, cricket frogs and a few other sp. around the area. My suggestion is to research about the Konza Prairie. This is prime habitat for herps, most of which are named above. You cannot herp on the actual prairie, but there are endless miles of privately owned habitat that is very similar to the Konza. I would look for rocky hillsides, but pay close attn to the hillsides where the rocks are less numerous, but much larger in size. For more information on Kansas herping specifically, go to this webbpage and ask whatever questions you may have:
www.smoky-hills.com/kansas
I hope this helps...

I would recommend flipping flat rocks. If you aren't able to get permission from land owners then I would recommend flipping rocks on rock cuts (not major highways LOL). This is the time of the year before it gets too hot.

BTW, I garduated from Junction City High School and from Kansas State University, so I am familiar with the area in which you live.

Just got back from a week of herping in Kansas today. Mostly in the Flint Hills and some time in the Low Plains. We found:

Yellow Belly Racer
Black Head snake
Ringneck
Speckled Kingsnake
Flathead snake
Black Rat snake
Great Plains Rat snake
Milksnake
Ribbon snake
Red sided Garter snake
Massasauga Rattlesnake
Lined snake
Plains Garter
Great Plains Narrowmouth Toad
Ornate Box Turtle
Unidentified Turtle (will post pics for ID help)
Collard lizard
Texas Horned lizard
Prairie lizard
Great Plains skink
Unidentified skink (will post pics for ID help)
Six-lined Racerunner

No live Bull snakes (lots of DORs), and again this year no Prairie Kingsnakes. We did not venture east of the Flint Hills.

Pictures soon.

Kerby...