Twelve Months of Northern Ohio Herps in 2022 (Part 3)

A Common Snapping Turtle in need of a haircut.

A rather colorful Green Frog. Green Frogs tend to stay close to the water’s edge, ready to leap in (and often give a squeak) if they sense danger.

A sweet looking suburban Eastern Garter Snake on May 14.

A Northern Ringneck Snake on May 17. It's easy to see how this snake gets its common name.

On the same day, I found this Dekay's Brown Snake too.

On May 21 I found my first Pickerel Frog of the year. In case of attack, Pickerel Frogs have an interesting defense mechanism: they emit skin secretions which are irritating to people and toxic to some predators. This toxicity makes the Pickerel Frog the only poisonous frog native to the United States.

An Eastern Milk Snake that I found on May 22.

And a suburban Eastern Garter Snake found the same day.

A super-fine Northern Red Salamander found on May 23. The habitat for this colorful creature is under rocks and logs in and around cold, clean springs and adjacent brooks.

An American Bullfrog/Green Frog combo in Cuyahoga Valley National Park on May 24.

A Common Snapping Turtle/Midland Painted Turtle combo seen there the same day as well.

Other turtles were seen that day as well, such as this (non-native) Red-ear Slider.

A Midland Painted Turtle. True to their common name, these turtles usually have red or orange markings along the edge of their shell.

A newly metamorphosed American Toad found on June 8.

A "spotted" Eastern Garter Snake. Though usually strongly striped, these snakes can vary quite a bit in appearance.

This Northern Two-lined Salamander was found on June 10.

A DeKay's Brown Snake that I found on June 27. Like the Garter Snake, it gives birth to live offspring.

I found an Eastern Milk Snake on that day too. The Eastern Milk Snake is one of our only constricting snakes in Northeast Ohio.

At the end of June I found this young odd "black eyed" Green Frog.

And this Northern Leopard Frog undergoing metamorphosis.

A DeKay's Brown Snake that I found on July 14. This secretive snake does well in urban areas and they seem to coexist well with humans in city settings and can be found in gardens, city parks, vacant lots, and old cemeteries as well as Metroparks.

A duckweed-covered Common Snapping Turtle in Cuyahoga Valley National Park on July 15.

This (non-native) Redbelly Turtle was seen on the same day.

As well as this (non-native) Red-ear Slider.

It was a good day for turtles - this Spiny Softshell was basking on the muddy bank of the Cuyahoga River.