8-20-17

Trip Details

Location: Linn County, Iowa

Weather: 80 degrees, clear sky

Time: 1:00 p.m. 

Herpers: Laura and Jim Scharosch

Account by: Jim Scharosch

Laura and I went out to check out a sand prairie in Linn County. It was a warm day, but not too hot, so we hoped to see a few things out and about. We knew we had a chance at baby bulls and hogs this time of year so that’s what we were really hoping for.

We found a bunch of fresh baby hognose sheds in one area, but there were no snakes in there. We moved on to a nearby sand ridge and found a young adult Bullsnake ((Pituophis catenifer sayi). The snake was in shed so we didn’t take any time trying to photograph it.

We moved on again, and at the next site we flipped an adult Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos).

It was also in shed so we didn’t disturb it. This was the sixth eastern hognose of the year for me. I went many years without having much luck finding these guys, so six in one year is pretty amazing to me.

We saw a handful of garter snakes too, but that pretty much ended the day for us. It was a nice trip out, and even though we only saw two snakes worth mentioning, and they were both in shed, it was still well worth the effort.