Monthly Archives: October 2022

Lined Snake

Posted on by

01 Herp Habitat_8104

This month when visiting the “Show Me State,” I came across my first-ever Lined Snake while exploring a glades habitat in Missouri.

02 Lined Snake_9354

This small, secretive serpent looks similar to a Garter Snake. It is mainly brown to grayish brown with three light stripes, one along the middle of the back, plus two on the sides. The belly is white with two distinct rows of half-moon shapes.

03 Lined Snake_8439

Normally active from April through October, Lined Snakes hide during the day under rocks, logs, and other debris, becoming active at night.

04 Lined Snake_9369

This snake lives in a wide variety of habitats, such as prairies, glades, empty lots in towns and suburbs, near old trash dumps, along highways where there is abundant debris for shelter, and in open, rocky woodlands.

05 Lined Snake_9359

This species, which is typically about a foot long, feeds almost exclusively on earthworms. It was very cool to see this snake “in person” for the first time while on my herping trip.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Bantam Sunfish

Posted on by

01 Bantam Sunfish_8847

While exploring waterways in southern Illinois this month, I caught a few examples of the smallest of all sunfish species that can be found in North America.

02 Bantam Sunfish_8672

This 3-inch fish occurs in swamps and mud-bottomed, heavily vegetated ponds, lakes and sloughs. It is perhaps the least colorful member of its genus.

03 Bantam Sunfish_8669

Like all sunfish, its body is deep and compressed. The symmetrical shape of its body gives the Bantam Sunfish the scientific species name symmetricus.

04 Bantam Sunfish_8667

Scattered populations of this fish exist in the southcentral United States. Adults have vertical bands of irregular brown spots often with scattered spots between the bars.

05 Bantam Sunfish_8848

The Bantam Sunfish feeds on a variety of freshwater invertebrates. It is considered to be the least studied sunfish in the United States and is also listed as “Threatened” in Illinois.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Prairie Lizard

Posted on by

01 Victoria Glades_4775

While exploring this glade in Missouri, I can across a small, grayish brown, rough-scaled lizard that I’ve never seen in the wild before.

02 Prairie Lizard_4793

This is a common species of open forests or along edges of woods and fields. It often lives around country homes and rock gardens, split rail fences and stacks of firewood.

03 Prairie Lizard_7423

Adult range from 4-7 inches in total length, with their tail being over half of their total length. Males are easily differentiated from females by two bright blue patches on their underside that females lack.

04 Prairie Lizard_8175

These lizards are extremely fast. When startled, they will often seek refuge in nearby vegetation or burrows. They also commonly escape capture by running up trees.

05 Prairie Lizard_4801

The Prairie Lizard eats a wide variety of insects and spiders. It was neat to see these cool creatures while visiting the “Show Me State.”

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Fairy Inkcap

Posted on by

01 Fairy Inkcap_4717

While looking for snakes in southern Illinois, I noticed a large number of tiny mushrooms at the base of a tree. This species derives its nutrients from decaying wood and is usually found on or near dead tree stumps or decaying logs.

02 Fairy Inkcap_4718

These gregarious little fungi occur from early spring until the onset of winter, and they are at their most spectacular when the caps are young and pale – sometimes nearly pure white.

03 Fairy Inkcap_4714

Common in Britain and Ireland and throughout Europe and North America, the Fairy Inkcap is truly a cosmopolitan mushroom, being found also in most parts of Asia and in South America and Australia.

04 Coprinellus Disseminati_4715

For most types of inkcap mushroom, the gills and caps melt into an inky black ooze – which is what gives the inkcaps their common name. Though this is not a feature of the Fairy Inkcap.

05 Fairy Inkcap_4716

Rather than melt into mush, the caps of the Fairy Inkcap remain brittle, and easily teared, hence their alternate common name of Trooping Crumble Cap.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail