5-27-02

Trip Details

Time: About 10:00 am start time.

Location: Johnson and Linn Counties, Iowa.

Temp/Conditions: estimated 60 degrees. Low wind, mostly sunny.

Herpers: Jim, Laura and Austin Scharosch

We started off in Johnson County, Iowa in the morning. It was cool and and it was still damp from the dew from the previous evening. The first place we went was a field with an old barn and a few pieces of wood scattered around. We turned a few logs and found nothing, then found a large garter snake under a board. Austin turned the next board and found and caught the first snake he has ever found on his own. It was a good sized garter snake. In typical garter snake fashion it pooped on him, you can see it on his left arm in the picture.

We went to a few other spots in Johnson county, but we didn't have any luck.

We came back to Linn county and went back to a spot that we frequently visit. It is the same location where we have found bullsnakes in the past. As soon as we got out of the car and started walking, we found a juvenile Northern Banded Watersnake laying in the rocks. It looked like a baby from last year.

We worked our way farther into the area, turning various items as we went along. When we got to the end of the area, we found a two foot long Bullsnake. It was a typical Iowa Bullsnake with the dark black near the head, brownish middle and dark tail. It didn't display any hissing or defensive behavior at all, it seemed more interested in trying to get away than in trying to intimidate.

After we found the Bullsnake, we turned a piece of metal and Austin caught another Garter Snake, this time a nice red-sided one. Once again the snake showered him with nasty stuff, which you can see in the picture. Austin toughed it out well though.

We noticed that quite a bit of debris in this area had been turned over, but not replaced back to it's original locations. It looks like someone else may be herping in this area, but not following the golden rule of herpers.

If you herp and turn stuff over, put it back the way you found it!