Midland brown snakes are quite common throughout the TriCities but rarely seen due to their small size and secretive nature. Brown Snakes October 13, 2017 I would guess that pretty much all of us have heard the cautionary tale of the Itsy Bitsy Spider. But how many people have heard about the Itsy Bitsy Snakes?
Brown Snake, Reptile, Snake
This garter snake has an overabundance of melanin, a dark pigment that obscures the individual’s normal markings. The cloudy eyes indicate that the snake is in the midst of a shed cycle. (Photo courtesy of Jill Voegtle.) Ms. Garter Snake August 25, 2017 Every time I walk past a particular park district outbuilding, I get
Garter Snake, Reptile, Snake
This week’s column is the second in a series chronicling lesser known fall season phenomenon. Ah, babies. What’s cuter than a tiny robin nestling, its mouth gaping widely as it waits to be fed? Or a tiny fawn curled up in the woods, sun dappling its white-spotted coat? I may get a little push-back on
Reptile, Stinkpot, Turtle
The woman’s voice quavered in agitation as she described her predicament. “I have a milkshake on my driveway,” she squeaked over the phone, her words barely discernible above the squeals emanating from her equally distraught children. I winced as I listened, thinking back to the time I watched a Superdawg chocolate shake meet a similar
Milksnake, Reptile, Snake
February 5, 2016 The Big Snake Recently I received an email from a Good-Natured reader who lives in Batavia. As I recall, we were corresponding about a seasonal topic–owls, I believe–but then she asked a summertime question that, even in the midst of winter, still seems to be on many people’s minds: What ever happened
Big Snake, Reptile, Snake
Did anyone else catch this Washington Post headline a few weeks back? “Lady snake gives birth after being alone for eight years, doesn’t need men” Other news media jumped on the story too, crafting equally tantalizing titles. From the web site livescience.com: No Boys Allowed: Snake Mom Has ‘Virgin Birth’. And from Discover magazine: Water
Garter Snake, Reptile, Snake
Walking up to Hickory Knolls each morning, I never cease to be struck by the abundance of beauty displayed by our native wildflowers. More than once this summer I’ve stopped to take pictures of the magnificent milkweeds, the stunning coneflowers, the St. John’s wort so irresistible to pollinators that it was positively swarming with bumblebees
Rattlesnake, Reptile, Snake
Maybe you’ve heard, a snake caused quite a stir in the TriCities this past week. Following a lead story on NBC-5 News that reported a Deadly Snake on the Loose in Geneva, I received no fewer than a dozen phone calls, text messages and emails expressing a variety of sentiments. They ranged, on the mild
Reptile, Snake, Water Snake
February 27, 2015 Bird Tracks A female midland painted turtle, Chrysemys picta marginata, showed up unexpectedly last week in the Hickory Knolls turtle pond, threatening the well-being of the endangered Blanding’s turtles that reside there. I’m not gonna lie, we like to have fun here at the ‘Knolls. Even though the duties can be demanding
Reptile, Shell, Turtles
November 28, 2014 Artie at Thanksgiving Ornate box turtles, like Arthur, are a threatened species in Illinois and require a permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources if kept in captivity. I guess we all have our Thanksgiving favorites. My brother likes turkey, and lots of it. I’m partial to stuffing. And my buddy
Box Turtle, Reptile, Turtle