# 2015 reptiles and amphibians



## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

I figured I would start a thread to post some of my finds this year. I usually try to post just a few finds at a time, but I've gotten a little behind, so these first few posts will be just to get caught up on my year so far. After that, I'll try to keep adding to this thread a little more regularly, so I don't get so far backlogged again.

Again, thanks to all who have helped out with locations and information. You guys have made herping in Michigan an awesome experience. Hope you enjoy. 

I'll start with amphibians, since I've only photographed four species so far this year.

American toad (_Bufo americanus_)



Green frog (_Lithobates clamitans_)





Red-backed salamander (_Plethodon cinereus_)





Blue-spotted salamander (_Ambystoma laterale_)



Thanks for looking. More to come.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Alrighty. Now for some turtles. I've only seen two species of turtles o far this year, but they're favorites of mine that never get old. 

Painted turtle (_Chrysemys picta_)







Common snapping turtle (_Chelydra serpentina_)





Hope you guys enjoyed. More photos will be up shortly.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Okay. For this one, I'll do three of the most common animals that I find.

Five-lined skink (_Eumeces fasciata_)







Northern Brown snake (_Storeria dekayi dekayi_)





And, of course, the Eastern Garter snake (_Thamnophis sirtalis_)











Well, if you're still hanging in there, all the other snakes are up next.lol


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Now, to try and keep four species down to a ten photo limit.:lol: This part is what I consider to be the good stuff.

Smooth Green snake (_Opheodrys vernalis_)



Eastern Milk snake (_Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum_)







Northern Ringneck snake (_Diadophis punctatus edwardsii_)





Northern Water snake (_Nerodia sipedon_)



Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoy. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on any other cool finds or interesting photos I manage to get.


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## benster (Jul 31, 2006)

Awesome pictures guys, thanks


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## man vs. fish (Sep 6, 2010)

Awesome pictures! try to find some bogs around you and you will probably find some yellow spotted and four toed salamanders. I don't know about up in vanderbilt but lower in the state red/blue racer snakes are all over the place. Also in the bogs you should be able to find some blandings turtles and musk turtles. If you ever get around torch lake go onto lake bellaire(public access all over the place) and go down the grass river. TONS of turtles(snappers, soft shells, etc.), snakes, birds, even the occasional otter, etc.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Snapper on the side of the road yesterday.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

From my old back yard down south last week. Its really hot down there now. This ones sunning himself. I'd love to see these up north. It really cuts down on the pleasure boating to have them around. At least the sissy's stay home!


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## eucman (Jan 24, 2009)

Great pics, love the snapper shots! I've read that there are 6 lined race runner lizards in Tuscola county. That would make a nice addition!


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, guys.

Man vs. Fish, the year isn't over yet.lol I've still got some tricks up my sleeve. 

6speed, I'd love, love, LOVE to have gators up here. 

Eucman, I've already life-listed the racerunners. It'd still be cool to see them here, but I doubt I'll get to that this year. (My research did lead me to the perfect spot to check, though. )


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## eucman (Jan 24, 2009)

JJones said:


> Thanks, guys.
> 
> Man vs. Fish, the year isn't over yet.lol I've still got some tricks up my sleeve.
> 
> ...


Good luck! If the spot is anywhere other than Tuscola county the biologists would be happy to hear about it!


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

eucman said:


> Good luck! If the spot is anywhere other than Tuscola county the biologists would be happy to hear about it!


I'm sure they would! :lol:

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that the spot I'm thinking of is the only place in the state to see them. As far as I know, they've only ever been recorded in and around one State Game Area. I'll probably make an attempt for these guys when I finally get down there to look for Copper-bellied Water snakes and Kirtland's snakes. Hopefully, I'll be able to pull off a hat trick. The three rarest reptile species in Michigan.


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

good stuff man, makes me want to get out there and do some herpin. its been a while for me.


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## BVW (Jul 25, 2002)

Very nice!


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, guys! 

FishMichv2, you _should_! You get to see 'saugs, right? That would be enough to get me in gear. Post lots of photos, if you do. If I can't see them for myself, I can at least drool over photos. :lol:


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Wow, great photos.

L & O


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

JJones said:


> Thanks, guys!
> 
> FishMichv2, you _should_! You get to see 'saugs, right? That would be enough to get me in gear. Post lots of photos, if you do. If I can't see them for myself, I can at least drool over photos. :lol:


i actually moved north last fall so i have to find some new herping grounds. i already know of some good spots from my fishing travels over the years though. when i was downstate i had some good EMR spots but im not around there too often anymore.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, L&O. I'm glad you liked them.

FishMichv2, I'm in Vanderbilt, just North of Gaylord. If you ever get up this way, you should hit me up. I could show you some spots to flip some decent stuff.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

As dirt-common as these guys are around here, I almost never photograph the ones I see. I realized yesterday, though, that I actually hadn't photographed a single one this year. I have a board line for smooth greens that's really good for these, too, so I decided to make a special trip just for the lowly Northern Red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata). Back home now, looking at the photos I got, I can't seem to remember why I always underrate this species.


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

JJ your photos look like they belong in NATGEO.


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## ReallyBigFish (May 8, 2014)

Great pics! Haven't seen some of those snakes before. The second snapper pic is great!


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, guys. I'm glad that so many people appreciate these animals. 

ReallyBigFish, that's one of my favorite shots that I've ever taken. Glad you liked it.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Wow. It's been a while. I'm going to try and get caught up, but I'll have to spread these out, so I don't get overwhelmed. It's been a great year. Here are just a few of my more recent finds...




























































































Well, that's it for now. Hope you guys enjoyed. I'll try to post some more tomorrow or the next day.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Well, that sucks. I guess this is gonna be difficult to post with only my phone. Ill try to figure it out tomorrow. I'm too tired to mess with it anymore tonight. Sorry for the false alarm. I'll have pics up soon.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Alrighty. I downloaded Tapatalk, but it won't let me preview my posts. Hope this works.lol










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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Okay, good deal. Well, here are some more. 



















































































That's enough for now, I think. Let's see how this does with bulk posts. 

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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Excellent. You came up with that variety of snakes last summer ? Could you label the snakes for us too ?

L & O


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Oh, yeah. I got so excited that they actually posted that I forgot to label them.lol It won't let me edit old posts on here, but I can list the ones I just showed.

Test post was a Red-backed salamander.

This post was:

Red-bellied snake
Five-lined skink
Northern Ringneck snake
Smooth Green snake
Eastern Milk snake
Another Red-belly
Painted turtle
Eastern Garter snake
And a Northern Brown snake.

I actually saw a few more species (I got two lifer snake species this year) but I haven't posted everything. 


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Here are the two snakes that I didn't list yet. First is the Eastern Hognose snake.



















And one of my lifer species for this year, the Northern Water snake.



















I'll post some of my other photos later on. I've got amphibs and turtles, too. The snakes are just my favorite. 

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## ReallyBigFish (May 8, 2014)

Those Northern Water snakes are pretty brazen. We were fishing at 7 lakes state park, wading out and one started to chase my little brother and another time one tried stealing a bluegill off a stringer at another lake in Oakland county.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

ReallyBigFish said:


> Those Northern Water snakes are pretty brazen. We were fishing at 7 lakes state park, wading out and one started to chase my little brother and another time one tried stealing a bluegill off a stringer at another lake in Oakland county.


That would be cool to witness. I've seen photos of them hunting, stealing fish, and even a video of an old guy feeding a half dozen or so that lived in his back yard. I hope I get to photograph their feeding behavior at some point. 


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## BUCK/PIKE (Oct 24, 2011)

Awesome, I always love finding reptiles since I was a kid. 
I've never seen a skink, and a lot of those great snakes are new to me. All the snakes in Michigan??


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks. Yeah, these are all Michigan species. So far, I've seen half of the lizard species and over half of the snake species found here. I'm actually surprised at how difficult it's been to find some of these. There are only seventeen species of snake in Michigan. Where I'm from (Arizona) we have more varieties of just rattlesnakes than that. I've always been able to find my targets before, but some of these Michigan species are downright elusive unless you're lucky enough to be right on top of a strong population. They definitely keep me busy.lol

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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Well, today I think I'll focus on one species. These are Smooth Green snakes, one of my favorite species to find.

























































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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Today, I think I'll focus on the Northern Ringneck snake. This species was a lifer for me this year. Judging from what I've gathered from anecdotal accounts, this is one of the hardest species to find in Michigan. Their populations are really spotty, but fortunately they are found in decent numbers where they do occur. I love finding these guys. Probably my favorite of the rear-fanged venomous snake species in Michigan. 





































This last photo is one of my favorite from this year. It isn't the prettiest photo that I've taken, but this snake was one of the most beautiful that I've ever seen. As if they weren't pretty enough on the bottom, this freshly-shed specimen showed some remarkable iridescence...










Thanks for looking guys. Hope you enjoyed. I'll try to figure out something cool to show you tomorrow. 


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Are you a professional photographer ? The quality of your photos are equal to what I have seen in the high quality nature books. I'm an outdoors guy with a strong interest in knowing more about the plants and animals that are on my property or places that I visit, however, I must not be looking in the right places for most of snakes that you have photographed.
Thanks for sharing. I will tune in tomorrow or whenever you post again.

L & O


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, L&O. I'm glad you like my photos. I'm not a professional photographer, and I don't really use any special cameras or anything. I just try really hard to get photos that capture the beauty of the subject. My wish is for everybody to appreciate these animals the way that I do. 

Thanks again for the compliment. I'll try to post something nice tomorrow.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Well, going from one of the rarest species to the most common, this is the Eastern Garter snake. Most people that live in Michigan have seen this snake at one time or another. This species is incredibly well-adapted, feeding on just about anything that will fit down their throats and occupying every biotic community that I've explored in Michigan thus far. 














































This little neonate has a belly full of what is likely his first meal. (I'm guessing an earthworm.)



















That's all for tonight. Thanks for looking, guys. More tomorrow.


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## pikestalker (Dec 30, 2010)

ReallyBigFish said:


> Those Northern Water snakes are pretty brazen. We were fishing at 7 lakes state park, wading out and one started to chase my little brother and another time one tried stealing a bluegill off a stringer at another lake in Oakland county.


Read your post and thought you were one of my kids at first. They grew up fishing 7 lakes, and have had run ins with the Northern Water Snakes. Especially when fishing from little 7 or big 7 on the south end of the lake. JJones, thanks for the pictures, made me think about being a kid again looking for those things. We would keep them all summer, and then let them go in the fall. Thanks again for the pictures!


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, Pikestalker. Glad you liked them.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Wow, sorry for the late post. I work in snow removal during the winter and you can probably guess how busy I've been lately.lol

For this next series of photos, I think I'll go with two species of the same genus, Storeria. These small, fossorial species are found in the vast majority of the habitats that I explore, but seem to be especially common in grassy forest openings. Both are extremely variable in coloration and, being so closely related, they are often difficult to distinguish at first glance. Proper identification can be made, however, by looking at the belly and the eyes. The Northern Red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata) usually has a red or pink ventral surface (belly). Conversely, the Northern Brown snake usually lacks this feature and can be further distinguished by a dark, inverted v-shaped eye stripe.

Northern Red-bellied snakes:





































Northern Brown snakes (the first photo is a neonate that is perched on a dime for size reference) :





































Well, that's enough for today, I think. Thanks for looking, guys. Hope you enjoy.


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## glucas (Aug 27, 2013)

JJones said:


> Wow, sorry for the late post. I work in snow removal during the winter and you can probably guess how busy I've been lately.lol
> 
> For this next series of photos, I think I'll go with two species of the same genus, Storeria. These small, fossorial species are found in the vast majority of the habitats that I explore, but seem to be especially common in grassy forest openings. Both are extremely variable in coloration and, being so closely related, they are often difficult to distinguish at first glance. Proper identification can be made, however, by looking at the belly and the eyes. The Northern Red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata) usually has a red or pink ventral surface (belly). Conversely, the Northern Brown snake usually lacks this feature and can be further distinguished by a dark, inverted v-shaped eye stripe.
> 
> ...


JJONES, how many poison snakes live in Mi? Very nice pictures.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, glucas. 

Your question is kind of a tricky one to answer. There are at least three (possibly up to six) species of venomous snakes in Michigan. Many people believe that the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake is the only venomous snake that can be found here and, technically, they're incorrect. A more accurate statement would be that they are the only dangerously venomous species. 

The Eastern Hognose snake and the Northern Ringneck snake are known to be mildly venomous. Even that, though, is sort of a misnomer. Studies of their venom show that it is quite potent. Hognose snake have a hemotoxic venom that is comparable to some pit vipers. Ringneck snakes possess a neurotoxic venom that is quite similar to the venom of Coral snakes and other elapids. Both species' fangs are just very short, rear-mounted, and grooved (rather than the hypodermic needles you would find in the mouth of a pit viper), all of which renders their delivery system fairly ineffective. If given a chance, though, they can chew in enough venom to cause symptoms similar to a bite from their more, "highly venomous," kin. The photo below shows a bite from a Hognose snake that held on long enough to give a good dose of venom:










I mentioned that as many as six species found in Michigan were possibly venomous. The other three are, believe it or not, Garter snakes. A few recent studies have been finding known venom proteins in the saliva of Garter snakes of various species. This is still being studied, and I haven't heard anything regarding the Thamnophis species found in Michigan, but I anticipate that it's only a matter of time. Recent findings have resulted in a surge of studies looking at snakes that we have regarded as nonvenomous for years.

Now that I'm done with the science portion, I'll put in my two cents. For all intents and purposes, there is only one potentially dangerous snake species in Michigan. While the others may be capable of causing a serious bite, if left alone, they're harmless. The same thing can be said about rattlesnakes as well, though. After finding and photographing many hundreds of rattlesnakes in the wild, I can say that the only snake that's a danger to the average person is the snake that wasn't left alone.

Sorry for the long explanation. Hopefully it helps create more clarity than confusion.


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## glucas (Aug 27, 2013)

JJones said:


> Thanks, glucas.
> 
> Your question is kind of a tricky one to answer. There are at least three (possibly up to six) species of venomous snakes in Michigan. Many people believe that the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake is the only venomous snake that can be found here and, technically, they're incorrect. A more accurate statement would be that they are the only dangerously venomous species.
> 
> ...


No need to be sorry, I thank you for the lesson I found it quite interesting.


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Think I'll go with Northern Milk snakes today. Milk snakes get their name from old wives' tales claiming that they feed from the udders of cows. This belief persisted because of their habit of congregating near barns. In truth, this species can be found in any open, grassy areas where one might expect to find large numbers of rodents. Barns, lumber piles, dilapidated buildings and the like are often the best habitat. 

Despite being named for a belief that they stole milk, these snakes are actually a farmer's best friend. Not only do they eat rodents, but they also have an affinity for eating other snakes, venomous and nonvenomous alike. Even for those that don't like snakes, this is one that you'll likely want to keep around.














































I saved this next one for last because it's kind of special. This is a full grown adult sporting juvenile colors. I've never seen this before or since (although I've seen the same snake a few times.)

When I first moved here, one of my local friends tried to convince me that there were Corn snakes in Michigan. Even after I explained that their range ends about 700 miles South of here (along with the Cottonmouths he swore prowled the swamps) he still wouldn't believe that the "baby Corn snakes" he was seeing were actually juvenile milks. 

So I made him a bet. I told him that either one would be a huge range extension (something I could write a scientific paper on) so if he could bring me a living Corn snake or Cottonmouth from Michigan, I would pay him $500. Even if I found one on my own, I'd still pay half that. Little to my surprise, I've never had to pay up. 

When I found this one, though, I had to look twice. I thought I was going to get to write that paper, after all. But closer inspection revealed that it was just an abnormal Milk snake. Not as cool as finding a Corn snake, but definitely still cool, and MUCH cheaper.lol











That's all for tonight. Thanks for looking, guys. More later.


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## shadowcolt (Nov 17, 2013)

Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, as well


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks, Shadowcolt. I'm glad you enjoyed.

I keep meaning to post some more, but I keep getting busy. I'll post some more photos soon, just can't say when.lol


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## JJones (Aug 19, 2013)

Alrighty. I'm running out of snakes. I'll have to start on turtles and amphibians soon. Before I wrap up the snakes, I'll post some more Smooth Green snake photos that I found on my memory cards. I really do love photographing these guys. 





































I think that's it for the smooth greens. Next post, I think I'll wrap up the snakes so I can start showing you guys some other cool herps. Thanks for looking, guys. Hope you enjoy.


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## kingfisher2 (Mar 22, 2001)

Wow, this has got to be one of my favorite threads! I use to put out black tarps down by the river in SE Michigan and would find several different types of snakes. Always amazed me there would be 4 different types of snakes under the same tarp. We always found this one snake we called stubby since he was missing the end of his tail. We always thought it was a Corn Snake. You've just corrected that. Another one we would come across had perfect colored bands, almost looked like a coral snake...Never knew what kind it was. We also would occasionally run across HUGE Giant Black Snakes. I always thought finding the Green's was a special find...Thanks for the education and I look forward to your future posts!

Marc


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

great shots of these great animals. i gotta get back into herping, its been way too long.


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## tcfishes (Oct 2, 2013)

Here are a few that I snapped last summer.


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## tcfishes (Oct 2, 2013)

Here's another spotted salamander that I found the previous fall


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

Wow just found this thread amazing photos as a kid I would catch snakes and sell them to a local pet shop. That's probably illegal now . I have thirty acres with diverse habitat and have seen some of what you posted but not all of them guess you have to know where to look .I have noticed a sharp decline in snakes and turtles on my property even the common water snake is rare to see now .I do however have a overpopulation of raccoon opossum and skunks since so few are trapping my area .The box turtles were plentiful here at one time but are mostly gone I have found empty shells . Hopefully they will pull through .


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## Crawfish (May 7, 2002)

Wow, I just stumbled on this thread, and you have some amazing photos, JJones! Thanks for sharing. You have a ton of pics of animals I've never seen in the wild. I need to start not only carrying my camera in the woods, but keeping it at the ready. 

Last summer I was fortunate enough to watch a northern water snake chasing a school of shiners in 6-10" of water.

Last weekend I had my camera in the pack while turkey hunting with my daughter when we came across a blue racer. This was the first time I have seen one of these in the wild. It was sunning itself on an open hillside just outside a burrow, and I only got a couple rushed cell phone pics before it went underground. 

Looked to be about 4-4.5'. I've only seen one other Michigan snake that size, and that was a milk snake in our yard a few years ago.


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## DLHirst (Mar 14, 2009)

Great thread. I am tagging along so I can show my 8 yr old daughter. She loves all things herps, maybe I can get her to go on more hunts...


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## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

My yard as a nice population of large Garters this Spring.
So glad to have them around. I have had some nice Milkies in the garage in past years.
Hope they show up again.

When I was a kid I was bitten on the back of my left hand by a Garter and it really swelled up nicely! The event surprised a lot of people and I was asked if I was sure it was a Garter snake.
I wonder If I am immune to their low grade toxin?


old


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## tpl_2 (Mar 28, 2005)

Came across this snake (freshly run over in the road near a swamp in Howell, MI). Looking for someone wiser than I for its identification. I was guessing a black rat snake. It was about 3 ft long and a little thicker than a quarter. Appreciate your feedback. I am curious to learn what species I have in the area...never seen this one before.


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## Crawfish (May 7, 2002)

Either black rat snake or northern water snake. 


http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12201-61196--,00.html


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## DLHirst (Mar 14, 2009)

I agree. I would guess a water snake - first choice. But, if he has keeled scales, then rat snake.


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