Wisconsin Herping

Blanding's Turtle

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake Nest Hole

Typical appearance of an eastern hog-nosed snake, Heterodon platirhinos, nest. The fresh sand was dug up after the heavy rain the night before, and there likely was a gravid female down inside the hole ready to lay her eggs.

Nesting Eastern Hog-snakes Snake

Note how distended the caudal body of this gravid hog-nosed snake, Heterodon platirhinos, is. She was actively digging with her head underground but stopped to check us out when she felt our footsteps.

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

Gravid female, paused during her excavation of her nest.

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

Heterodon platirhinos. This one was actively digging. We watched until she disappeared completely underground. Note how distended with eggs she is.

Juvenile Eastern Milksnake

Lampropeltis triangulum

Juvenile Midland Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picta Basking on some blades of grass two inches above the water.

Spring Peeper

Pseudacris crucifer

Blue-spotted Salamander

Ambystoma laterale

Meadow Jumping Mouse

Not a herp but a rare observation in the field.

Small White Ladyslipper Orchids

Northern Watersnake

Snake 1, Gery 0. Nerodea sipedon

Eastern Milksnake

Lampropeltis triangulum, in situ under a railroad tie.

Eastern Milksnake

Lampropeltis triangulum

Eastern Milksnake

Lampropeltis triangulum, in situ under a railroad tie.

Eastern Milksnake

Lampropeltis triangulum, in situ under a railroad tie.

Northern Watersnake

Nerodea sipedon

Midland Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picts. Starting to dig a nest; here comes the next generation.

Red-bellied Snake

Storeria occipitomaculata. A slug-eater, this tiny, 10-inch adult looks like she might be gravid.

Red-bellied Snake

Storeria occipitomaculata This is a pencil-sized, 10-inch adult.

Red-bellied Snake

Storeria occipitomaculata. I can never figure out how the taxonomists come up with these names.

Gery H

Blue-spotted Salamander

Ambystoma laterale. Found under a railroad tie. We also saw larvae in a vernal pond.

Blue-spotted Salamander

Ambystoma laterale Dude, you have a little something on your face.

Easter Hog-nosed Snake

Heterodon platirhinos. The Carl Koch memorial hoggie. This is the prettiest one we have seen at Carl's sites.

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake track in the sandy road

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake nest hole