Ohio Reptiles and Amphibians, 2020 retrospective

2020 is finally over. It has been a rough year for all of us. The one good thing about 2020 was more time to go herping. Not being able to travel forced me to focus on my local area more than I would have in a normal year. I was lucky enough to see some really amazing things.

This is not a comprehensive look at all the herps I saw this year (not by a long shot), but it does include photos of my most notable finds. Enjoy!

The first Ohio herp of the year was this big adult spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) found on a rainy night on February 4.

I travelled to southwestern Ohio on February 22 to meet with my friends Aaron Crank and Mike Wilhelm. We managed to turn up this large streamside salamander (Ambystoma barbouri) in a frozen creek under a rock.

Aaron flipped the rock where we had found the streamside salamander to reveal this. A clutch of two dozen or so eggs!

Another shot of the mother with her clutch.

During this same trip we travelled to another location where Aaron managed to find this adult northern spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) and several spring larvae. 

On February 24, I tried my luck at trapping common mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus). On the very first night of trapping I managed to trap four individuals!

Here is a closer look at the head and gills.

That night, I went out in the rain to look for migrating salamanders. I found this Jefferson salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum).

On March 3, I found two wood frogs (Lithobates silvatica) in amplexus. 

The next day, I tried this experimental shot of a wood frog with its eggs.

On March 5, the eastern gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) were out at the hibernaculum on campus. This is a large female. 

March 9, a northern spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) I found during an afternoon of stream dip netting. 

March 18, Carl Brune and I went road cruising on this rainy evening. The mountain chorus frogs (Psuedacris brachyphona) were in full chorus.

Carl spotted something orange-red in the headlights and knew right away what it was. A northern spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus).

This was something of a surprise. The only Ambystoma we found was a chunky marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) wriggling across the road. 

March 19, I went north to look for late season Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum). This was the only individual I found.

Western chorus frogs (Psuedacris triseriata) were in abundance.

As were the ubiquitous spring peeper (Psuedacris crucifer).

I was lucky enough to see 6 adult midland mud salamanders (Psuedotriton montanus diastictus) on March 24th and close to 20 mud larvae. 

Another Mud.

And another.

The same day, I found a male five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) wedged in a rock crevice.

Here is a better look. I wondered for a time if this was my first Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps), but closer inspection of the scales revealed otherwise.

March 26, A male mountain chorus frog floats near an egg mass.

A particularly good-looking northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus)

March 28, I found this handsome, juvenile Kirtland's snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) in southwestern Ohio.

March 29, a recently emerged eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)

Another angle of the fence lizard.

I also found these amplexing American toads (Anaxyrus americanus) in the process of laying eggs.

March 30, I found this mother four toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) guarding her recently deposited eggs.

A belly shot of a four toed salamander.

April 2, I found these little floofs sitting on a backroad. These are newly-hatched American woodcocks. The babies blend in with the dirt and rocks and stay just as still. The mother, meanwhile, tried to lure me away with a broken wing display. 

A very weird but cool-looking bird species.

Later in the day, I found three midland mud salamanders (Psuedotriton montanus diastictus)  in a small seepage. This was the largest of the three.

Nearby, in the main stream channel, I found this southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) with eggs. 

April 3, a clear example of a spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) egg mass.

An opaque example of a spotted salamander egg mass.

April 4, an eastern worm snake (Carphophus amoenus) found beneath a rock with Carl Brune.

April 6, a Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) found near a large, open pond with Carl Brune and Aaron Crank.

April 12, a large, eastern black kingsnake (Lampropeltus nigra) found under cover in a powerline clearing with Carl Brune. 

April 13, Julia Joos and I found this large northern red salamander (Psuedotriton ruber) on a rainy backroad. 

Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) were out as well. 

Large numbers of juvenile long-tailed salamanders (Eurycea longicauda) were crossing the road.

April 20, Aaron Crank, Carl Brune, and I had a great mud salamander day. We found five large adults and one larvae!

Another mud salamander adult.

April 25, Carl Brune nicknamed this box turtle we found "Ol' Cheeto head."

April 29, a northern ring-necked snake (Diadiphis punctatus) found beneath one of my boards.

That evening, I found this northern red salamander (Psuedotriton ruber) on a rainy backroad.

May 1, Mike Wilhelm, Aaron Crank, and I met in extreme southwestern Ohio to look for the state endangered cave salamander (Eurycea lucifuga). We easily found nine individuals!

A small juvenile cave salamander. 

Another adult. 

A red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) with an interesting gold back.

We also saw lots of these introduced European wall lizards (Podarcis muralis).

May 4, Aaron Crank, Ethan Slusher, and I found this ground skink (Scincella lateralis). This is my first Ohio ground skink and leaves me with just one more lizard species to see in the state.

Aaron flipped this little copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) under a nearby rock slab.

As we parked along the road at another location, this large black ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides) slithered into the woods.

We made a quick stop at a nearby pond where Aaron snagged this pretty common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus).

Ethan made the best discovery of the day. As Aaron and I were each looking at an eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum), we heard Ethan call from down the trail, "Broad-head skink!" I don't think I have ever run so fast. Ethan had a big lizard pinned under a piece of tin. 

Together, we were able to corral and catch the skink (Plestiodon laticeps). It measured ten inches and was the final lizard each of us needed to see in the state.

May 7, I made one of my favorite discoveries of the year. A juvenile timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus). 

This is likely last year's hatchling. 

The rattle is just a single button.

Another exciting find that day was a juvenile red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata).

You can see here where they get their name.

May 9, Carl Brune, Aaron Crank, and I decided to look for the locally rare eastern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus). After seemingly striking out, I managed to snag this large individual as it shot through the grass.

May 12, I often neglect to photograph the common species, so I decided to take some time to get a shot of this young black racer (Coluber constrictor).

May 14, a Kirtland's snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) sitting on top of its crayfish burrow.

A DeKay's snake (Storeria dekayi) found in an old field. 

May 17, Carl Brune and I met up for some social distance herping. We found this northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) that had this interesting orange shade on the upper half of its body.

An attractive eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum).

A good-looking eastern black kingsnake (Lampropeltis nigra).

May 20, rain brought the eastern spadefoots (Scaphiopus holbrookii) out!

An amplexing pair of spadefoots.

Another.

And another. This one is more purple 

I just can't get enough of these state endangered frogs.

May 23, I headed out to southwestern Ohio to do some herping with Mike Wilhelm, Aaron Ambos, Jason Bracken, and Dean Alessandrini. Mike turned up this beautiful halloween-colored eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platyrhinos).

And then he found this little juvenile eastern hog.

Later that day, Mike and I went to some of his old stomping grounds. He managed to find two Kirtland's snakes (Clonophis kirtlandii) under a log.

May 24, my friend Sara Lennert texted me about a snake she found. It was this large, dark-colored eastern hog-nosed snake. I rushed over to see it for myself.

The next day, I returned to the location and found this juvenile hog basking near a pond.

It played dead.

May 25, a brightly colored eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) found beneath a piece of tin.

May 26, one of the largest black ratsnakes (Pantherophis spiloides) I have ever seen. Probably close to six feet.

May 28, a little eastern musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) I found crossing the road between two wetlands. 

A little black ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides) found crossing the road.

A copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) found under a piece of trash.

May 29, one of the best sights in the world when hiking rocky hillsides. Sadly, this large adult timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) had a bad case of snake fungal disease.

May 30, Carl Brune and I flipped this smooth earthsnake (Virginia valeriae) beneath an old carpet.

I found this stunning copperhead out on the crawl. 

This is probably the best looking copperhead I have ever seen.

Our very last stop of the day revealed this stunner of an eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platyrhinos). I love its golden and black markings.

June 12, Carl flipped this tiny, hatchling eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) under a board. Out of the hundreds of box turtles I have seen, this is my first hatchling. Carl has only seen one other in 20 years of herping in Ohio.

June 19, a trip with Aaron Crank to the only place in Ohio where plains gartersnake (Thamnophis radix) can be found resulted in this nice specimen. 

June 24, Carl Brune and I found this eastern black kingsnake (Lampropeltis nigra) beneath a slab of astroturf. 

June 26, I joined Andrew Hoffman and John Buffington during their timber rattlesnake research.

Here they extract a small blood sample before letting the snake go on its way.

July 1, a red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) cruised just after dark.

A Fowler's toad (Anaxyrus fowleri). 

Whip-poor-wills were calling from the road.

July 3, not a herp, but still one of the coolest things I got to see this year. My friend Aaron Crank knows a spot where wild gray foxes can be easily seen.

They even had their kits with them.

We saw five adults and four kits in the span of a few hours.

July 6, a juvenile timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) found while cruising a dusty back road.

July 11, the last turtle species I needed to see in Ohio, the ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis). The turtle on the right is a northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica).

July 18, a large female ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis).

July 26, a large female eastern spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera).

July 29, a copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) found while cruising a dark back road.

August 2, Carl Brune and I cruised this rough greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) while out herping one warm afternoon. 

August 7, Carl and I stumbled upon this very unexpected turtle. It appears to be a three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis). This subspecies ranges from Montana to Texas and south central Alabama. What it is doing in Ohio is a mystery. It may be a released pet.

August 8, a copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) that I road cruised one evening.

August 23, Carl and I found this juvenile common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) in a water-filled pothole on a ridge top. It was very yellow in coloration. 

September 24, a queensnake (Regina septemvittata) found near a stream in central Ohio.

October 4, Carl and I found this dark-colored green salamander (Aneides aeneus).

Carl spotted this little rough greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) crossing the road on the way back to the vehicles. 

Good memories. Carl Brune and myself after a long day of herping. Here's to doing it all again in 2021.

October 8, while helping my lab with a research project, we were lucky enough to find this smooth greensnake (Ophedodrys vernalis). A first for me!

October 14, a neonate eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus).

October 18, an eight red salamander day! 

I found five huddled together beneath one piece of cover in a spring.

These salamanders are some of the prettiest in the state.

December 9, winter is here when the snow arrives. Snowy owls that is. 

Dec 10, now that it is winter, my master's project field work has begun. I am studying a population of common mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) in central Ohio.

I am not sure how I got to work on the one herp species that is actually more active in winter. . .

But they are fast growing on me. Grad school eats up a lot of time so I haven't had a chance to write about my project much on the blog. Hopefully there will be much more to come in 2021!

Thanks for reading,

RBW