Mistiming the Magic Tree. 9-12-2025

We'd planned on a visit to the Rat Snake tree in Worcester County last weekend but my dreadful planning made it impossible so instead, we headed over on Friday, September 12th and got there reasonably early. We figured that this is the best time of year to see new baby Rat Snakes. And we'd have been right if only one was present.

We did, however, we a bunch of skins all over the (off limits) tree, some massive ones and a half dozen 8-9 inchers. Babies have already had their first shed and the proof was all around the tree. There must be dozens of super clean Rat Snakes around. Sadly, we never did see one.

We had much better luck with Pickerel Frogs, definitely the most seen species of Andrea's vacation thus far.

This was our first Peeper of the week, though.

This Tree Cricket (Oecanthus) kept hopping onto Andrea's pants. Perv.

Remember when we were in Western Mass and we saw just one Eft? We made up for it this day. The heavy rains of the previous week brought a bunch of them down from the hills and we got our fix.

Strange bedfellows.

A very successful Redback flip. Triplets!

Red and Lead!

I'm pretty sure we've photographed this fat black American Toad before. He's the size of a baseball. And the shape of one.

Feel free to use this perfect example of an American Toad for help in differentiating between Fowler's and Americans... the postorbital ridge touches the partoid gland with just a little ridge as opposed to being flush up against it. You're welcome.

A young Painter was basking on a perch in the lake. Little guy... about 4" carapace.

Somebody, probably a raccoon, had enjoyed a freshwater bivalve buffet.

We ended the day with a few more Painted Turtles.

So, we visited the tree numerous times while we were there and saw no snakes, nor did we see any in our usual flipping spots. But it's all good because we talked to Sam, the ranger that works there and has taken an interest in the storm drain that we brought to her attention. She fished twelve Snaplings out of there this week. We peeked in and it was animal-free! We gave her a finer mesh screen to use and while we were driving off, she was already installing it!

We talked to the guy in charge about the Magic Tree and they are not going to save it. He said that if the park was not there, the tree would fall anyway and they have noted new places that the snakes have moved in to. Bittersweet for us because the tree was so easy and it will suck to not have it there anymore. (Search Magic Tree... you'll see.) But yay on the snakes doing what they should be doing. We'll certainly see them again. We might even make one more trip out to look for them this year. Gas prices willing.