springbreak with my fam

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simpleyork
Posts: 513
Joined: March 6th, 2012, 12:45 pm
Location: utah

springbreak with my fam

Post by simpleyork »

decided with the end of springbreak coming to take the wife and kids south for a few days, we got in late and after setting up camp dragged my 2 year old down to the stream to see what frogs were croaking. Turned out to be pacific tree frogs, and woodhouse toads

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the next morning after picking up breakfast we headed out to try a few new spots for blackheaded snakes but no luck, just some ground snakes

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after flipping 4 i was headed to some rocks and noticed some bling shining from a piece of wood

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that was the first ground snakes i've spotted while walking!!!

I soon flipped #6 , it was getting warm so we headed into town to get some food.
we then headed out to a place I was hoping to find a patch nose, after walking around for awhile and watch not much but grasshopper jump an caught a glimpse of orange and quickly looked down to see another ground snake slither into a small bush and down a hole. the ground temps were 113 F dang little bugger. Soon I saw a rat run under a rock so I flipped it, I saw two rats, oh wait one was a desert collard lizard, he too got away from me.
Finally after flipping for more than an hour i came up with girl

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My wife was feeling sick so I took her and the kids into town to get a hotel room for that night. I then snuck out and went back to where I had been herping previous and flipped two desert night lizards which were LIFERS for me at least in Utah as i've only ever seen them in California.

It was getting dark so I headed to a river to see if I could find and canyon treefrogs but came up with pacific treefrogs, red spotted toads, and woodhouse as well.

The next morning we headed out and flipped a three foot coach whip, then found a dor coachwhip and a live baby gophersnake while heading to the next spot to herp. There we found whiptails, and zebra tailed. we then headed home. Sorry for the lack of photos but my 2 year old wanted to be carried everywhere.
IReallyLikeHerping
Posts: 15
Joined: March 8th, 2014, 4:43 pm
Location: West Jordan, UT

Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by IReallyLikeHerping »

Nice post, Chris. This is your year for ground snakes, seems like.
simpleyork
Posts: 513
Joined: March 6th, 2012, 12:45 pm
Location: utah

Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by simpleyork »

wish I could just cross a few others off my list, think this put me at 30 ground snakes on the dot
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Rancorrye
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Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by Rancorrye »

Nice job, Chris. Sounds like another successful trip down there.
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by Jimi »

Yeah Chris, sounds like a great trip. Hopefully your wife is feeling better.

Good job on the night lizards, there are so few records of those for Utah, that it seems like nobody really tries for them. I know you enter all your stuff in the database - thanks! I reckon I'll be doing another HERP data request for UDWR-Heritage Program this time next year.

Got any habitat shots of the night lizard area? I'm curious, was it burned in 2006 (or since)? Some of that ground is coming back OK in yuccas and desert cliffrose - both sprout so well. One of the good things about a multi-year drought is the cheatgrass isn't so happy...trying to squeeze some lemonade here.

cheers,
Jimi
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Rancorrye
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Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by Rancorrye »

Jimi, here is a habitat shot of areas I've found Xantusia. Just your typical Mojave Desert landscape.

Image

What did you flip them under, Chris? I've only found them under fallen joshua trees.
simpleyork
Posts: 513
Joined: March 6th, 2012, 12:45 pm
Location: utah

Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by simpleyork »

Same here dead joshua trees
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by Jimi »

Thanks for the pic Rye and the comment Chris.
Just your typical Mojave Desert landscape.
Mmmyeah, sort of. That photo'd spot has never burned - well, certainly not in historical times. On the south slope (and east, and west slopes...) of the Beaver Dams that's an unusual situation. Much of the Nevada Mojave northeast of Vegas has also burned.

I was curious if you guys had been looking in un-, once-, or twice-burned spots. Some of the once-burned spots - ones where evidently the cheatgrass wasn't too heavy in 2006 - are now looking alright. Or, far less horrible than a few years ago. Non-sprouting shrubs are still absent or very small, but the sprouters are getting pretty big, and there are some native bunchgrasses too, among the cheatgrass. All the fire-killed Joshua trees have now fallen over, and are pretty flippable. Their leaves are mostly long gone, just the "wood" is there. I've - rangewide - found way more Xantusia vigilis actually among the leaves of fairly recently-fallen limbs, not on the dirt underneath old leafless wood. But I have heard that works OK too (if you try). I was curious what you guys had found them in. I haven't flipped much in these recovering areas yet.

Twice-burned spots are mostly just a sea of cheatgrass and a few hardy native re-sprouters like broom snakeweed. And heinous weedy forbs like Sahara mustard...an ecological wasteland in most folks' eyes.

Xantusia are considered ("known" might be too strong a word...I do not know) to be poor dispersers. I'm curious about their recolonization (? I assume they're burned out) of once-burned areas. Joshua trees seem easily killed by fire, but the smaller yuccas resprout vigorously, and presumably provide lizard habitat. Anyway, just curious...always curious. Some Xantusia high up in trees that get killed might survive the heat, deep among the leaves.

cheers,
Jimi
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Rancorrye
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Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by Rancorrye »

Jimi,

This photo was actually taken about 200-300 yards up the wash from where I found the Xantusia. This particular wash was actually burned on each side where the Xantusia were found. The Xantusia were in the wash under fallen joshua tree branches with the leaves still attached. If I recall correctly it seems the branches appeared to be washed down as there weren't any joshua trees nearby. I did find a night snake outside of the wash under a burned out joshua tree. Don't know if that's any interest to you.

Rye
hondo-dan
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Joined: August 25th, 2014, 8:00 pm

Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by hondo-dan »

Nice one Chris! Those ground snakes and the gecko are some I've not found yet. I need to make a run south soon.
simpleyork
Posts: 513
Joined: March 6th, 2012, 12:45 pm
Location: utah

Re: springbreak with my fam

Post by simpleyork »

Thanks.
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