# Getting tired of KS herps yet???  DUW!



## KUJordan (Apr 19, 2007)

So I went to a spot this afternoon and spent about an hour rummaging around a bit.  It turned out to be a very colorful trip with a lot of diversity in herps, but the fact that I had found so many copperheads the last month or so really bummed me out when I was copper-skunked this trip. 

Here's the first snake of the trip- the largest _Carphophis vermis_, western wormy squirmy snake, I've ever seen!:







Next came this skinny but very green _Coluber constrictor_, racer under a rock (in situ):







I left it be and the next find was this pretty little G. Plains narrowmouth toad, which are always nice to see:







After the toad came this very pretty and cool (literally it was in the shade and very cold) baby _C. constrictor_:

In situ:


















Next come the milks.  I found two of them today and they were both monsters!

Here's the first, possibly the most unattractive _L. t. syspila _I've ever seen as it was hard into opaqueness:

in situ:












Here's the second milk, which was even bigger than the first.  But unlike the first one it was a beauty.  

in situ:












anyway, it was a short yet very fun outing. oh,......................................................................................................................................................................
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about that copperhead- I lied.  I found a gorgeous little bugger:

just after me flipping him:






after playing with him for a little while:


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## tacomadiver (Apr 19, 2007)

I'm jealous that you get to see all that good stuff there!


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## buthus (Apr 19, 2007)

Wow!  I love that first snake ...Carphophis vermis! I've heard the term "worm snakes" , but I dont think I've paid any attention.  
Have you tried keeping any?  Big time burrowers I suppose.


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## ShadowBlade (Apr 19, 2007)

Oooh, thats a beautiful copperhead! That's awesome looking. 
I can find babies any day of the week up here in West Virginia. But adults like that are a rare beauty!

-Sean


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## KUJordan (Apr 19, 2007)

ShadowBlade said:


> Oooh, thats a beautiful copperhead! That's awesome looking.
> I can find babies any day of the week up here in West Virginia. But adults like that are a rare beauty!
> 
> -Sean



believe it or not, that snake was only about 15" long!  it was still very young, probably only a year or two- nowhere near adulthood yet.  i agree though that is a looker.  it was actually smaller than the rest of the copperheads i've posted in the last two weeks on here.

do you have _A. contortrix mokasen_ in WVA?  or _A. contortrix contortrix_?


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## ShadowBlade (Apr 19, 2007)

KUJordan said:


> believe it or not, that snake was only about 15" long!  it was still very young, probably only a year or two- nowhere near adulthood yet.  i agree though that is a looker.  it was actually smaller than the rest of the copperheads i've posted in the last two weeks on here.
> 
> do you have _A. contortrix mokasen_ in WVA?  or _A. contortrix contortrix_?


You're right. It is smaller then I thought, didn't look very close. Still gorgeous.

I've only seen A.c. mokasen here. I don't think A.c. contortix makes it this far up.

-Sean


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## P. Novak (Apr 19, 2007)

All of those snakes are gorgeous. I need to go out herping one of these days and see what I find. I still can't get over at how beautiful those coppers are, how many have you already seen this year?


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## KUJordan (Apr 19, 2007)

Novak-

I've seen 9 copperheads already this year, which is WAY above my average!  I've only been out herping 5 times this year where I actually found snakes.  Amazingly copperheads have been the most abundant snake for me so far this year...well, second behind ringnecks which I don't even photograph because I find thousands every day.

Even though they are all the same subspecies, osages, I still love seeing the variation in their colors, shades, and banding patterns.  Also, their temperments are vastly different from snake to snake- some are happy as a clam to be moved and photographed while others don't like the idea of even being noticed and they'll flatten out, strike and flap around like mad!


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## gunslinger (Apr 20, 2007)

Got any reliable sites on Nerodia sipedon or Storeria dekayi out your way Jordan?


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## KUJordan (Apr 20, 2007)

gunslinger said:


> Got any reliable sites on Nerodia sipedon or Storeria dekayi out your way Jordan?


I have a spot where you can see 30-40 _N. sipedon _in one place and they are there day in and day out.  They are always fun to go hang out with and watch them all.  They are not very shy at this place either, so you get a lot of man-snake interaction...


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## gunslinger (Apr 20, 2007)

Awesome, we are always looking for more good sites on Nerodia sipedon.  I'll have to check and see how much data we have from your area.


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