Twelve Months of Northern Ohio Herping Highlights 2024 (Part 2)

Herp Habitat in Cuyahoga County.

A Midland Painted Turtle basking on March 26th. This species is one of the few that is specially adapted to tolerate freezing temperatures for extended periods of time due to an antifreeze-like substance in their blood that keeps their cells from freezing.

March 30th was a great day to see turtles sunning themselves in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. A number of the species were non-native, like this Yellowbelly Slider.

Redbelly Turtles - these are likely released pets.

A hefty Red-ear Slider. The carapace (top shell) of this species can reach more than 16 inches in length.

There were native turtles to be seen as well, like these Midland Painteds. These turtles eat aquatic vegetation, algae, and small water creatures including insects, crustaceans, and fish.

My first April snake was this Dekay's Brown Snake found on April 9th. This reptile can be found in urban areas and tends to frequent cities more often than the countryside. It can also be found in wetlands, grasslands, and forests

I herped along a creek in Medina County on April 9th and found a few cool creatures, like this Northern Two-lined Salamander.

A large and handsome male Green Frog. Male green frogs in breeding condition have yellow throats.

Northern Dusky Salamanders are mainly active at night, when they leave the log or rock that gives them protection during the day to find food along a steam or waterway. They hunt for insects, earthworms, slugs, snails, crustaceans and spiders.

April 17th - A Dekay's Brown Snake crossing the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. These small serpents are often mistaken for baby Garter Snakes.

On April 26th I travelled to northwestern Ohio and found some neat reptiles, like this Eastern Garter Snake. The majority of this snake's diet (80%) consists of earthworms, though they have a secondary preference for amphibian prey - especially frogs.

A trio of Northern Map Turtles. This reptile gets both its common and scientific names from the markings on its carapace, which resemble contour lines on a map or chart.

This Northern Water Snake was basking at the edge of a pond. As adults, they have dark bands and are often mistaken for copperheads or cottonmouths, but these snakes are not venomous.

I found this Butler's Garter Snake at the edge of a pond too. Habitat for this species consists of open or semi-open wetlands, including wet meadows and prairies, marshy edges along lakes, and ponds.

An American Bullfrog on May 16th. These amphibians regulate their body temperature by sitting in full sunlight on cool days.

A cranky Eastern Garter Snake that I also found on May 16th. This snake is known to flatten its head and anterior body and strike forward if it is bothered.

I caught this Red-spotted Newt on May 19th. This species is able to regenerate its limbs if they are lost to an injury.

On May 22nd I found two of Ohio's constricting snakes. This young Black Rat Snake was seen crossing the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. This is Ohio's largest snake species, reaching lengths up to eight feet (though usually adults are about half that size).

This young Eastern Milk Snake was seen crossing the towpath on the same day as the Black Rat Snake.

A well-fed Northern Water Snake basking on a log in the Ohio & Erie Canal on May 23rd. These snakes mainly eat fish and frogs.

I found my first Eastern Fox Snake of the year on the last day in May in Erie County. This constrictor inhabits emergent wetlands along Great Lakes shorelines and associated large rivers and impoundments.