Woodswalk

Garter Snake camouflaged

Wildlife

Last weekend I took the kids on a hike through a selectively cut, recently created, nearby land trust. At one point, we were walking over a clearcut on a bunch of slash, and I warned the kids, "Keep your eyes open for snakes-this is ideal habitat for them,"

and then I stepped on the tail of this one.



It didn't seem any worse for the wear.

*****

Earlier in the week I was driving home and saw this young ruffed grouse standing in the middle of my travel lane. I stopped the car and snapped a couple of pics, and still it stood, frozen.



I opened the car door and it flew across the road, followed by an adult I hadn't seen in the underbrush. A few other juveniles flew back into the woods.

Common Garter snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

Tree 409

Today at Prescott Willow discovered a hibernicula of garter snakes. This old well cover sits on a rock-lined, hand-dug well; a place these snakes thought made an excellent place for hibernation.

Today there were coming out in force-we counted at least ten different snakes, and when first spotted, there was about a half dozen writhing together as they emerged into the warm sun.

One of the farm boys reached down and grabbed a handful and tossed them onto the well cover. I grabbed my cam and caught this pic of one retreating back to his nest mates.

garter snake

Tree808