Snake Road, IL

 

There's a reason they are called Cottonmouth

   While this won't be the longest post, going to Snake Road was the focal point of our vacation. If we hadn't learned about Snake Road a few months ago I suspect we wouldn't have gone on this trip. 

  Snake Road is a forest service road in the Shawnee National Forest. It is only a few miles from the Mississippi River in extreme southwestern Illinois. It is the only road in the United States closed to vehicles due to snake migration. On one side of the road is a large swamp. On the other side are limestone bluffs. The snakes hibernate in the bluffs during the winter and live in the swamp during the rest of the year.   During the fall, the road is closed to all wheeled traffic from September 15-October 31. People are allowed to walk the road and look for snakes.

   The main species of snake seen on Snake Road are Cottonmouths. I bought a book about Snake Road. The author walked the road one hundred times during all weather conditions during spring and fall. He saw 1500 Cottonmouths and just over 900 of all the other species combined. There are about twenty five species that have been observed on Snake Road, but realistically there are only ten species you could see if you walked the road multiple times. The other species are just too rare and they only get seen every few years. 

 

Armadillo

   Unfortunately for us, it was hot. The temperature our two days was almost ninety degrees. This is not the temperature that will get snakes to think about hibernating. Snake Road is 2.7 miles one way or 5.4 miles round trip from your car. It was a four hour drive from Hannibal, MO so we walked it once on day one and I walked it twice on day two. Combined I did about sixteen miles of herping. 

   I knew I'd see at least one Cottonmouth but was also hoping to see some species I'd never seen before. I'd done my homework and learned about the snakes we could see. I was hoping for any lifer but a Timber Rattlesnake and a Rough Green Snake were reasonable possibilities. I ended up seeing one Green Snake. The most common snake that isn't a Cottonmouth is the Plain Bellied Watersnake which I saw one. This was also a lifer.

    All in all, I saw the Cottonmouths and two other species of snake. I saw a Plain Bellied Watersnake and just the head of a baby Rough Green Snake. Besides the snakes I got a Cave Salamander and Green Tree Frog as lifers. I also caught a newt in my hand which I'm told is an Eastern Newt but I'm not so sure. 

 

   One photo I really wanted was of a Cottonmouth with its mouth open warning people not to get any closer. While most of the Cottonmouths did not do this, as you can see, I had one that was willing to show me the inside of its mouth. 

  The coolest non-reptile I saw was an Armadillo. They have become common in southern Illinois. I had no idea they were there but others saw one also. Laurie found three Racoons. We also saw a crayfish that I think is a Red Swamp Crayfish based on photos I found online.

   While  herping wasn't great, it was still pretty good. I asked everyone I walked by if they saw anything. There were only two other species of snakes seen that I didn't see. One was a Western Ribbon Snake and the other was an endangered species called a Mississippi Green Watersnake. So I can't complain. 

  While I can't complain, I know I will go back. Next time hopefully there will be cooler weather. As I write this, a week after I went, the weather is perfect to see snakes. Since I left, they have had rain followed by cold nights and sunny seventy degree days. This is perfect weather to get snakes out sunning and migrating. I can't wait to go there again.

Green Tree Frog

My total was 

16 Cottonmouths, a Rough Green Snake, a Plain Bellied Watersnake,  3 Green Tree Frogs, Cave Salamanders, a newt, a Red Swamp Crawfish, 3 Racoons, an Armadillo.

  Photos below

Above and below, Plain Bellied Watersnake

Red Swamp Crawfish

Cave Salamander