Sandhill Prairie Herping on Mother's Day

Last year I drove 6 hours to the sandhill prairies of Illinois to look for my first wild Bull Snakes on Memorial Day Weekend. I didn't find any. So this weekend I got "back in the ring to take another swing" and I went a few weeks earlier than in 2011. That turned out to be a pretty good idea.

My first wild Bull:

Prairie Racerunners were easy to catch in the morning when they were still cold and under cover.

Though after they warmed up they were fast and fiesty. I also saw my first legless lizards, but I was unable to catch/photograph one.

Blue-margined ground beetles were commonly encountered.

The second Bull Snake I found was in shed.

I saw two Blue Racers, but both were going through a shed cycle so they weren't particularly attractive.

The final Bull Snake was the best of them all in terms of color and pattern.

It was a great day for finding a couple of "lifers." Closing shot of a Muskrat: