Ohio Reptiles and Amphibians, 2023

A Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) seen on the road on a rainy night near our house in early February.

Some Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis) that I saw on the Duke University (Durham, North Carolina), in mid March. I never saw them this far north in NC when I lived here in the late 1990s. Back then, I was on the Duke campus nearly every day for 5+ years, and never saw these. I wonder if warmer temperatures have allowed them to expand their range to the north a bit...

Back in Ohio now, a Black Racer (Coluber constrictor), as found under carpet in late March.

A Mud Salamander (Pseudotriton montanus).

A young Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber).

A Northern Slimy Salamanders (Plethodon glutinosus).

A Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) larva.

A Southern Two-lined Salamanders (Eurycea cirrigera) being eaten by a crayfish. As found under a rock slab.

A Northern Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus).

A Mountain Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brachyphona).

A Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum).

A Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae), as found under a board.

An adult Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens).

A Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis), as found on the road.

A Black Racer (Coluber constrictor), as found under cover.

A Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus), as found under a piece of bark in a wooded area. Near where this snake was found, there is large powerline right of way that has a number of large boards and pieces of carpet in it. These cover items consistently yield Black Kingsnakes and Black Racers, but no other snake species. This is the first Worm Snake that I have seen in this area, after several years of looking. This just goes to show you that exactly where and how you look for snakes can make a huge difference.

A Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus), as found under cover.

A Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum), as found between folds of carpet.

An attractive young Milksnake found under carpet.

A Black Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula nigra), as found under cover.

A Black Racer (Coluber constrictor), as found under a board.

A Black Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoleta) that I found on the road near my house. It was not happy to see me...

A double rainbow observed at our house.

A Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) hanging out with some Bluegills. Observed at one of the Emeriti Park ponds on the Ohio University campus.

An attractive Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), as found under carpet.

A Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae), posed on the board it was found under.

A Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum), almost as found under cover.

Some snake eggs found under a board in late July. I found very similar eggs under this same board in 2015. Those turned out to be Milksnakes and that is very likely what these are as well.

A Dekay's Snake (Storeria dekayi), as found under carpet.

A Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae), as found under some trash on the side of the road.

A Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), as found under a board.

My son Ryan and a Black Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoleta) that we drove up on. Every once in a while Ryan still gets out in the field with me.

A Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), as found under cover.

A Black Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoleta) posed on the board it was found under.

A closer look at the Black Rat.

A Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus), as spotted in a crack.

Black Racer (Coluber constrictor) eggs as found under a furniture cushion. The shells in the foreground had hatched in previous years. The un-hatched eggs from this year are visible farther back. Hatching Black Racer eggs were observed here in 2021 and 2022.

Some colorful fungus on rotting wood, photographed by Roxanne. I did an experiment this summer: try to remove a big stump using urea, which is a fertilizer and also a major constituent of urine. The stump had been under a tarp with the urea for several months when this photo was taken. By the way, the experiment was fairly successful.

In 2023 I spent less time looking for reptiles and amphibians than usual. Instead, I worked on my old car, a 1965 Chevelle. I drove it to work most days this summer.

In early September I spent a weekend camping at the New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia. The West Virginia Herpetological Society had their annual conference there. It was a rainy weekend, but that turned out to be great for finding salamanders.

The coolest thing was seeing the Green Salamanders (Aneides aeneus) out crawling around on the rocks. Usually, I only see them in cracks, but the wet weather made for perfect night hiking conditions to see them. We wound up seeing several dozen.

We also saw a few Cave Salamanders (Eurycea lucifuga).

The hornets had a nest in a tree near where I was camped. They did not cause me any trouble.

A nice waterfall. The water is stained from all of the rain.

Another Green Salamander.

In early November, I drove down to the site of the Silver Bridge disaster. It was a bridge across the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, WV and Gallia County, OH just north of Gallipolis.

A marker on the Ohio side. Sobering reading. A note for Athens and/or Ohio University people. In 1967 Clyde Baker was a young man serving for The Plains volunteer fire department. The call went out for all hands and he was one of the first to arrive on the Ohio side. He spent three days on the site doing rescues and then recovery. He explained this to me at a Physics and Astronomy Christmas party around 2018, by which point he was a retired professor. It happened to be the day of the anniversary of the disaster.

The Silver Bridge disaster has somehow become intertwined with the Mothman legend. There is even a Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant.

The plaque on the statue.

The Silver Memorial Bridge, the new bridge across the Ohio River. Photographed from the WV side.

Another picture of my car, and Blackwood Covered Bridge.

A Gold Dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) seen on the island of Hawaii. They are native to Madagascar and neighboring islands. I included it here because it is a beautiful lizard and perhaps you are curious to know the heritage of the insurance salesman gecko you see on TV.

A Southern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) larva seen on New Year's Eve.

Here is a summary of the live snakes that I saw in Ohio this year:

My snake numbers are definitely down compared to previous years, due to a lack effort on my part. We'll see if I bounce back in 2024, or not. There's still some things I want to get done on my car!

That's all for 2023. We will see what 2024 brings!