Missouri - 2007

Quick Herping Trip in Missouri

July 2007

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In July 2007, I attended the annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in St. Louis, Missouri. Although I spent most of the trip presenting my research and attending seminars, I was able to make it out into the field for a couple of short expeditions in the baking Missouri summer. Fortunately, I was able to meet up with Dr. Melissa Pilgrim at the meeting who conducted her master's research on snakes in Missouri and was able to show me around.

We began with a short afternoon trip to a local state park that we knew had some glade habitat. Only minutes after arriving at the park, one of Melissa's students found the first snake.

Priarie Ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus arnyi)

Working our way along a small stream we encountered a few Blanchard's Cricket Frogs (Acris crepitans blanchardi), a new subspecies for me.

We also spotted a small Midland Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)

We found some excellent Missouri glade habitat, but with temperatures soaring, herps were in short supply.

We did find a clutch of racer eggs and a few Prairie Racerunners (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus)

Terry Ferrell spotted this guy, taking refuge from the heat.

Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

Later, we found this pretty male at the edge of a glade.

A few days later, we managed to play hookie for a day and head a bit further afield in seach of more excting species. We left at 5 am, our target species: Massasauga Rattlesnakes. This was one of the few North American Rattlesnakes that I had yet to see and Missouri harbors several populations. Even better, Melissa studied Massaugas as part of her master's research and was a pro at spotting them.

After a couple of hours drive, we arrived at our destination, a wetland complex in central Missouri. As we walked along the wetland edge, Terry spotted something that looked out of place...

A little probing in the mud revealed the culprit... a Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

We continued searching marsh edge habitat.

Just as we were beginning to wonder if it was getting too hot I spotted some pattern in the grass... SUCCESS!

Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus)

After taking a few minutes to admire this beautiful snake, we continued on our way, heading to a spot in western Missouri where we hoped to find additional Massaugas or other snakes associated with aquatic habitats.

On our way to the wetland, I spotted something peeking out from a hole in the bluffs...

Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousii)

Although we failed to find any more Massaugas, we did locate a couple of gater snakes that I had hoped to encounter

Red-sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

Plains Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix)

Although the trips were short and the season made for tough herping, it was really a treat to get out in a new region of the country and see some species that I had never found before. Finding the Massauga, especially, will always be a memorable experience. I'd like to say a special thanks to Melissa Pilgrim, Terry Farrell, and Melissa's students from USC, Upstate, for making this trip successful.