On The Trail With Mark

A common site along the banks of Popes Head Creek.   However I do often encounter them further inland and away from water as opposed to other Lithobates like Bull and Green frogs. Pickerel frogs are tolerant to  drier conditions for longer periods than the other members of it’s genus.

Memebers of the nightshade family, Jimson Weed is a common plant found along roadsides, fields, pastures, and next to streams.  Poisonous.  Leaves are oval shaped with large teeth. Flower color varies between white to blue. Spiny fruits.  Grows up to 5 feet.  This photo was taken  in June 2007 at Hemlock Overlook Park.  These plants were thriving on sediments deposited on an island at the junction of Popes Head Creek and Bull Run River.

Purple Thistle along Clifton Road  

Generally a snake found in or close to water. Very aggressive but not venomous. Use caution when approaching this snake given it will strike repeatedly. I took this photo of a juvenile along Popes Head Creek in the 8 Acre Park. Note the pale blue eyes. This is a sign that the snake will shed its skin soon.

Fishing can get sort of montonous. One of the beauties of Hemlock is that when fish aren’t biting there are other things to do such as hike along the river and look for otehr signs of life. Here is a nice pic of one of a pair of musk turtles.

This snapping turtle was brought to me by a student who rescued it from certain death crossing a busy road. Fotunately it didn’t bite him.  I have caught  (and released) several like this one usually after heavy flooding along Popes Head creek.  Even as recently as two weeks ago I could see one prowling around near the edge of the creek between foot and rail road bridge.  I wouldn’t try picking these guys up especially if you are inexperienced handling such animals. They are very strong, have exceptionlly long reach with their necks and they can deleiver a mean, powerful, bite!

Took several high school students to Hemlock Overlook Park in June 2007. One of the high points of the trip was the capture and release of this large female water snake.  The kids were amazed at the size of this animal and had the opportunity to get up close and personal, for the first time in their life, with the snake “whose bite causes mortality” This snake is not poisonous and is often mistaken for a water moccasin which are not found this far north. NO WATER MOCCASINS IN OUR AREA!  

This photo I took about two years ago of a box turtle I helped cross Neuman road. This animal had obviously survived some type traumatic event during its lifetime.  Even though the turlte survived his ordeal having a hole this size can still make the animal vulnerable to a number of other problems. For instance, getting caught on something while it is trying to maneuver through the brush could trap and immobilize the animal leading to dehydration and other stresses.