One of my volunteer activities is helping the Herp Atlas
Project, a multi-year effort to map the distribution of all reptiles and
amphibians in Right here in my town
we have our own small swamp. In early
spring it’s wonderful to hear the quacking of Wood Frogs as they concentrate
in the hundreds to chorus and breed in the ice-cold water. They’re normally a rich, dark brown, but
occasionally I see some nice coppery ones.
Of course, the place
is full of Spring Peepers, madly calling so loud you can hear them half a
mile away. But just try to spot them;
it’s nearly impossible, and always frustrating. I’ll be standing there, in the midst of a
deafening chorus, surrounded by invisible frogs. Finally, I tracked one down and discovered
the secret of their disappearing act:
in addition to their tiny size and cryptic camouflage, the little
cheaters were calling from underneath dead leaves lying on the ground!
Painted Turtles are common, even wandering out of the water through
the surrounding woods.
Other residents of the
swamp include a colony of Spotted Turtles, however, their spots are hard to
spot. The high iron content of the
water, and the muddy bottom where they overwinter, discolors their shells and
obscures their spots.
We also have a nearby marshy area with a local population of
endangered Bog Turtles (Clemmys
muhlenbergii). I have yet to see one, but thought I came
close when I found this turtle. Turned
out to be another unspotted spotted.
One January day I was
passing the marsh. Just a few days
before temps had been down to 16° F, but on this afternoon it shot up to the
60s. So,
as I’m driving by, there in the road is a small, rounded shape that at any other
time could be a turtle, but certainly not in January. Still, worth turning the car around to
double-check . . . Well, shook my head, scooped him up, and set him back
in the bog. As my brother Ron said,
“What part of ‘hibernate’ did it not understand?”
This hatchling snapper came from the same marsh, though these common
turtles are found nearly everywhere in our area that’s close to water. Another turtle that mucks about the bottom
of our local wetlands is the small and smelly Stinkpot.
There’s also a pond
not far from home that has many Painted Turtles, a few Water Snakes, and a
single Red Belly Turtle. The snakes
usually stay close to shore amid the water weeds, but every so often they
just take off and swim across open water to reach the other side.
The carapace (upper
shell) of Red Belly Turtles are usually black, but this one is covered by a
coat of brown algae.
There’s also a mixed population of Red Bellies, Painteds, and Red Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) at a local lake.
Occasionally herps will even show up in my yard. Box Turtles are not uncommon, but this one
was uncommonly beautiful.
I also have resident
Garter Snakes that periodically make an appearance. This one is fairly typical . . .
. . .
while this one is unusually red.
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