Michigan Herp Trips

Every year, my cousin Robbie visits me during the summer months.  Since we were old enough to know what an Alligator was, Rob & I have always shared a passion for catching snakes. And even now, more than a decade later, we still spend a lot of our time together herping. We've had great days in the field and bad one as well. There was the time we spent all day herping and saw nothing more than a squirrel. And then there was the day in April of 2006 where we found four Black Racers, one Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake, 40+ Florida Water Snakes, 4 Gopher Tortoises, 2 Flatwoods Salamanders, 4 Florida Cottonmouths, and one Eastern Coral Snake. During Rob's 2007 summer visit, we were able to get out herping a few times and had some pretty great success. The first place we headed to was a flipping site of mine in a prairie meadow near with an adjacent marsh.

Tin Site just north of Ann Arbor, MI

At this flipping site, I've turned up Garters, Ribbons, Browns, Red-bellies, Milks, and even Blue Racers, so it's always a surprise as to what you're going to flip up under some tin. After flipping a few pieces, Rob moved a large sheet of tin revealing this little blyder trying to blend in with a bird's nest.

Dekay's Brown Snake

Besides the Brown Snake, several neonate Garter Snakes were flipped under tin. We continued to search the surrounding areas of the tin site and saw tons of Northern Leopard Frogs hopping near low wet areas with cattails. Along the way, we were stopped by this sneaky little snake basking on a board pile.

Eastern Garter Snake in Situ

We also camer across an Eastern Ribbon Snake darting across a cut path near a pond. This was Robbie's first Ribbon Snake seen in the wild.

Robbie with an Eastern Ribbon

With little luck following the Ribbon snake, we headed off to a new site about a half hour away. The area is really quite beautiful and serves as home for a large diversity of species. It has the usual Thamnophis & Storeria, but what sets this place apart is that it is home to the Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos). The sand dunes transitioning into sandy forests serve as perfect refuge for the species. Here are some habitat photos from the area.

Hoggie Habitat

We looked around the area and saw no Hoggies in sight, but did come across a nice little AC (alternative cover) which looked like it might house a snake or two.

Home to a snake?

Dekay's Brown Snake

This nice looking little Brown was almost invisibile under some leaves which were under the rusting refridgerator door. We continued on toward some marshier and thicker habitat so check a board site. Robbie flipped the board, and yelled, "SNAKE!" with such excitement that I thought he had found a Hognose or a rattlesnake. But it turned out to be nothing more interesting than a healthy Eastern Garter Snake.

Robbie with His Find

We also got the Thamnophis trifecta when we flipped this nice butleri!

Butler's Garter Snake

Rob learned the hard way that there's a nasty end to Snapping Turtles when he caught this nice looking snapper, luckily the bite wasn't as severe as it could have been. I couldn't help but laugh.

Common Snapping Turtle

After Garters, Browns, and Snapper bites, the real highlight of the night was when we came across this nice little Massasauga making it's way towards a tallgrass prairie. It was one of the smaller ones I've seen, probly no more than 15 or 16 inches in length. But still, a gorgeous little snake.

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Two days later, Rob and I had the find of his entire stay for the summer. Most people don't like Snapping Turtles due to their appearance and agressive behavior. But this individual was the largest I've ever seen, we estimated it's weight to be in the 50-60 pound range, it was a giant.

Now that's a brute!

Robbie & the Big Snapper

 It was another great summer of herping with my cousin, and I'm sure it won't be the last. With trips to Snake Road & the Everglades together in 2008, many new herping stories and experiences are ahead. As long as we live, at least we'll both always have something we share in common.

Species Observed:

• Eastern Garter Snake
• Eastern Ribbon Snake
• Butler's Garter Snake
• Dekay's Brown Snake
• Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake
• Northern Leopard Frog
• Common Snapping Turtle

Back to Trip Reports

Back to Michigan Herps Home