|
We took a trip about an hour west of town to the Osceola
National Forest. This was a great trip, although we did not see
all of what we had hoped to see. We did not see any corn snakes,
garter snakes, or many others during the day. We did not see any
rattlesnakes after dark like we were hoping to see either. Of
course, you have to be in the right place at the right time to see them.
this was evident when one of the FWS law enforcement officers met up
with us on the road after dark and said he had just recently seen a
canebrake rattlesnake on a road that we had just been on. The
recent cold spell probably didn't help us either. We are planning
another short evening trip for the sole purpose of seeing rattlesnakes
sometime in early June. The highlight in the
morning for two of them was the black racer that we found on the side of
the road. It was still cool and very slow to move. Kevin and
Tim each took turns trying to handle it. They did not get the full
effect from this one as they would have if it had been an hour or so
later and the snake in its daily prime!
The other highlight as the juvenile cottonmouth we
found while road riding after dark. All four vehicles came to a
sudden stop and 6 teenagers bolted from the vehicles and circled around
the snake on the side of the gravel road. With hooks in hand, they
kept their distance while keeping the snake away from their feet with
the hooks. With this snake, they were able to see the yellow tip
of the tail that is used in caudal luring. For several of them,
this was their first time ever seeing a venomous snake in the wild.
Truly, this was an experience they will never forget.
* Disclaimer.....For those starting to panic about the
venomous snake situation, this is perfectly safe for the students
because they are not allowed to handle these snakes. I am doing
the handling and the students are getting to see these fascinating, and
often maligned creatures in their natural habitat. For several of
them, this is/was their first opportunity to see some of these snakes in
the wild. |
