I decided this morning that I was going to head over to one of my favorite forest preserves in Cook County to look for woodland amphibians before the warm weather arrived to stay. It has been an unusually cool weekend with highs in the low fifties, with overcast skies and wet ground. Perfect conditions for blue spotted salamanders, spring peepers and western chorus frogs, all of which make their home at this particular preserve, which I will not name out of respect for the amphibians, which are often heavily collected for the pet trade. When I arrived, there were a lot of cars in the parking lot and I was able to smell smoke. I figured a prescribed burn or a buckthorn bonfire was taking place, and I was right. I could see in the distance volunteers working the area where I planned on hiking, so my plans were squashed. What was I to do?
I decided to walk the other way, to an area I have been to before, but not thoroughly. I made my way through various biomes, finding among other things, beautiful wildflowers such as shooting star (Dodecatheon sp.) and trillium (Trillium sp,), prehistoric oaks and hickories, and glacial erratics scattered about. The ground was squishy and lovely, and most of the open areas hadn't gotten very tall yet. On my way toward what looked like a naturally-occurring swale, I came across and disturbed a massive garter snake (Thamnophis spp.). It moved very quickly and effortlessly and in moments was gone completely. It darted into some thick taller grass and I was unable to catch it, but I can say it was FAT. It was probably the biggest garter snake I've ever seen, based on what I was able to see. It would have been great to have caught it for a look, but then again, garters that big make a lot of stink.
Once at the swale, I realized this was prime habitat for garters and brown snakes (Storeria dekayi) and possibly American toads (Bufo americanus), the latter of which I have not seen in a while, oddly enough. However, I was surprised, as I lifted the first piece of flat bark, to find a small Northern red-belly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata), the first I've seen in a while It was a beautiful example, charcoal grey above with a stunning red underside. Like most Storeria, it didn't put up a fight, but instead allowed me to move it around without even a tongue flick.
I thought to myself, as I returned the red belly back to its hide, what else I might find here. I had already witnessed a bulky garter and a redbelly. There, near the edge of some standing water, laid an old Buick hubcap - a real relic. Imagine my surprise when I found, loosely coiled underneath that hubcap, a small smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis)! I let out an "Oh my God" the moment I realized that this was the smooth green snake, a snake I had once dreamed of finding since I read all about them as a kid in my old books and since I kept its cousin, the rough green snake (Ophoedrys aestivus), in captivity for a long time during high school. The smooth green snake is what I would consider one of the best "ecological barometers", next to fish and amphibians. A state-threatened species, the smooth green snake has disappeared from most of its range due to development and loss of habitat in general. It is also sensitive to pesticides; its food consists mostly of insects such as orthopterans (crickets, grasshoppers, and the like), spiders, worms, etc. When these prey species ingest pesticides, they are taken in by the snakes when eaten and bioaccumulate within the snake. Given the widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers, it is only a matter of time before most populations of smooth green snakes perish. A few scattered populations remain in northern Illinois, but they are so isolated and small, that long-term sustainability is questionable. Can these tiny green snakes survive human impacts? Will they be able to tolerate further expansion and development as the years go by? Or will they simply disappear altogether, to be remembered only as a novelty that once was?
I'm going off on a tangent here (me? Really? Ha...), but many times I engage in discussions with different people about conservation of natural resources and of species. And invariably, someone asks me about a species in trouble - let's just say, in this case, the smooth green snake. People want to know why they need to be saved. Are they critical for the well-being of humankind? Well, no. Do they cure cancer, AIDS, or obesity? No, definitely not. In any way or form, can we make money off of them? Aside from selling them for a tiny fee, no. Ok, so then, why should we save them?
To save them. That's why. Let's stop thinking only about us but also the living things we share our planet with.
Why do people need a reason to pay attention to a species in need? Especially one as nondescript and secretive as the smooth green snake? I say we do it because we are responsible for their decline, we ought to be responsible for their comeback. And we need young nature lovers and future generations to know that we are doing it for them so that they can do it for their children, and so on.
Sorry for the rant - I really try not to do that (really, I do!). Here are a few photos taken today at the unnamed site.
I decided to walk the other way, to an area I have been to before, but not thoroughly. I made my way through various biomes, finding among other things, beautiful wildflowers such as shooting star (Dodecatheon sp.) and trillium (Trillium sp,), prehistoric oaks and hickories, and glacial erratics scattered about. The ground was squishy and lovely, and most of the open areas hadn't gotten very tall yet. On my way toward what looked like a naturally-occurring swale, I came across and disturbed a massive garter snake (Thamnophis spp.). It moved very quickly and effortlessly and in moments was gone completely. It darted into some thick taller grass and I was unable to catch it, but I can say it was FAT. It was probably the biggest garter snake I've ever seen, based on what I was able to see. It would have been great to have caught it for a look, but then again, garters that big make a lot of stink.
Once at the swale, I realized this was prime habitat for garters and brown snakes (Storeria dekayi) and possibly American toads (Bufo americanus), the latter of which I have not seen in a while, oddly enough. However, I was surprised, as I lifted the first piece of flat bark, to find a small Northern red-belly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata), the first I've seen in a while It was a beautiful example, charcoal grey above with a stunning red underside. Like most Storeria, it didn't put up a fight, but instead allowed me to move it around without even a tongue flick.
I thought to myself, as I returned the red belly back to its hide, what else I might find here. I had already witnessed a bulky garter and a redbelly. There, near the edge of some standing water, laid an old Buick hubcap - a real relic. Imagine my surprise when I found, loosely coiled underneath that hubcap, a small smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis)! I let out an "Oh my God" the moment I realized that this was the smooth green snake, a snake I had once dreamed of finding since I read all about them as a kid in my old books and since I kept its cousin, the rough green snake (Ophoedrys aestivus), in captivity for a long time during high school. The smooth green snake is what I would consider one of the best "ecological barometers", next to fish and amphibians. A state-threatened species, the smooth green snake has disappeared from most of its range due to development and loss of habitat in general. It is also sensitive to pesticides; its food consists mostly of insects such as orthopterans (crickets, grasshoppers, and the like), spiders, worms, etc. When these prey species ingest pesticides, they are taken in by the snakes when eaten and bioaccumulate within the snake. Given the widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers, it is only a matter of time before most populations of smooth green snakes perish. A few scattered populations remain in northern Illinois, but they are so isolated and small, that long-term sustainability is questionable. Can these tiny green snakes survive human impacts? Will they be able to tolerate further expansion and development as the years go by? Or will they simply disappear altogether, to be remembered only as a novelty that once was?
I'm going off on a tangent here (me? Really? Ha...), but many times I engage in discussions with different people about conservation of natural resources and of species. And invariably, someone asks me about a species in trouble - let's just say, in this case, the smooth green snake. People want to know why they need to be saved. Are they critical for the well-being of humankind? Well, no. Do they cure cancer, AIDS, or obesity? No, definitely not. In any way or form, can we make money off of them? Aside from selling them for a tiny fee, no. Ok, so then, why should we save them?
To save them. That's why. Let's stop thinking only about us but also the living things we share our planet with.
Why do people need a reason to pay attention to a species in need? Especially one as nondescript and secretive as the smooth green snake? I say we do it because we are responsible for their decline, we ought to be responsible for their comeback. And we need young nature lovers and future generations to know that we are doing it for them so that they can do it for their children, and so on.
Sorry for the rant - I really try not to do that (really, I do!). Here are a few photos taken today at the unnamed site.
Ephemeral pond
Northern red belly snake
Smooth green snake
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