myOhionatives.com
Recent trips of Discovery
Southern Illinois, Crab Orchard and Cypress Creek NWR
In a very dry southern Illinois the conditions were perfect for reptiles and amphibians. The landscapes are some that I have never seen and very different from Our Ohio. Drainage and flooding from the Ohio River thousands of years ago made some spectacular eco-regions. The most impressive was Heron Pond in the Cypress creek NWR with its very old Bald cypress trees. The mystical scape with huge trees, soft foliage and algae covered water, add the hazy fog and its a scene from Lord of the rings. Swamps made much of the area, but being so dry my wife and I could traverse some neat areas, till a huge 4 foot Midland/Northern watersnake with a head the size of my fist showed up and she stayed behind. The massive snake bigger than any watersnake I have ever seen was just five feet from me and we both didn't move. I was weary of it being a copperhead.
The Bald cypress grow old and the two together in the photo gallery are said to be between 1000 and 1500 years old. We saw a cottonmouth on the way back swimming right down the center of the creek, luckily for my wife we were above the creek and I couldn't get to it. Later walking another trail we saw another maybe cottonmouth, but turn out to be another huge watersnake. Many Box and Painted turtles, song birds on their way south, the meanest 5 foot Rat Snake I have ever tried to grab, better it run than bit me I quess. Needless to say this was a true trip of discovery, many species I have never seen, the Cottonmouth, Cricket frog, Bald cypress, Cherry bark Oak tree that was 105 feet tall and 22 feet around and a Worm snake 5 inches long.