Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I thought I would let you all know what a cool memorial day I had.
I went over to my oldest Daughter's house for dinner last night and just to talk and spend some time. She lives about 6 miles east from my home in South East Lee County, on a small dirt road. So after dinner and chatting the wife and I went home about 8:30 pm and I jokingly told my wife, ok honey watch for snakes as we drive home (I have been road cruising in this particular area before and it is pretty good).
Well I hadn't said that 30 second ago when I jammed on the breaks for a snake in front of us. I got out of my truck to see what it was (it was a pretty good size, no hatchling here) and when I got up to it, it was a beautiful Scarlet King Snake. I have lived here in South FL for 33 years and have never found one before, but always wanted to. This was a nice 24" long one to boot!
With my not believing my luck, she held the snake as we drove home. Another 1/2 mile up the road, I jammed on my breaks again (this time giving my wife whip lash LOL. this was a nice 2 year old (looking two) corn snake. I picked this one up and now the two of us continued to drive home, each with a snake in one hand (I had no bags with me!! I always carry bags with me but not tonight). As we were getting closer to a more populated area I told my wife, ok we are out of snake territory now, and again as those words left my mouth, I again jammed on the breaks, (this time getting the wife mad LOL) and there at an intersection was another nice Corn snake a bit bigger then the last but still mostly a young snake, maybe three years old!

Now we are driving, I have two snakes in my hands and my wife has one and all three of them are with in a 3-4 mile stretch of road. So when we get home I tell my wife that I am going to make another pass through that area and a bit farther east.
I set the snakes up in temporary cages and hit the road. I am out for another 10 minutes when I find yet another corn snake trying to cross the road. As I collect it up it starts to rain, which is why I think there was so much activity. I continued to cruise my normal cruising area, I found one more live snake a Stori Dekay small slug eating snake, that I took to the side of the road he was trying to get to. After that I did not find anymore live snake (frogs of all kinds, but no live snakes) but as I was cruising I was taking a count of the total DOR snakes that I came across and here is the total.
DOR found
8 Corn Snakes
2 Yellow Rat Snakes
1 FL Garter (large female)
1 Beautiful Hog nose (this one broke my heart!)
1 FL Banded Water snake
1 Ribbon snake
1 Glass Snake (aka glass legless lizard)
That with the five live snakes that I found makes a 20 snake night! That was all in a two hour drive! It is still raining here today, if it stops tonight, I may go out for another trip LOL. The huge amount of DORs was a heart breaker, but if I go cruising and get them off the street before a car gets them, then that is one for the good guys LOL.
Thought you guys would find this interesting,
Thanks
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

We had relatives visiting and took them down to Big Cypress and drove back home in the evening. Didn't see as many herps as you did, though.

Saw a gorgeous, just hit (still twitching) young adult E. Diamondback on Everglades Blvd. in Collier Co., just before dusk. What a shame! Missed a live cornsnake, and saw a DOR too, and also saw a young banded watersnake in Hendry Co. And also a box turtle. We could tell more animals would be out, but the relatives are not herpers, lol! Of course we showed them lots of gators during the day, and also a bobcat (it was really tall and leggy - thought it was a panther until it turned sideways and we saw the tail) and some otters playing in a big canal. Had to get back home as they were getting bored by evening.

Sounds like you had quite an exciting evening too!

I will post some pictures of the snakes that I have gotten along this area that I cruise soon, Just got back again from it tonight and had another great cruise. The whole trip only takes me 1.5-2 hours (depending if I am stopping to look at frogs too.
Tonight I found 0.3 Corn snakes, tow of them large females that are gravid and soon due to lay (judging by the fell of the eggs in their belly) tAll three are of the Miami Type local looking corns as I found tehm far east Collier County.
I also foound a Yellow Rat Snake, I am hoping for a male for my female that looks as if she is waiting to bred. The tail looked male but yellow rats are hard to tell.
amd The last thing was a small 5" Snapping turtle that is now happily in my Lake that I have in my back yeard!
Pictures soom to come
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com