Two Days in August. The 1st and 2nd, To Be Precise.

What to do? Where to go? Things seem so limited these days. I made the big call to go check out a place that we pass on the way to another Norfolk County park that we love, but that we'd never explored before. Of course, indecision and laziness got us a late start and it was pretty hot when we got there.

There was a squished Garter in the road so, sad as that is, it was a good sign. But as lovely and potentially great as the place is, we saw nothing as we climbed and walked for an hour and a half. There is no water there and that cuts our chances down by plenty. We proceeded to our tried and true place a few miles down the road.

As human-filled as this park tends to be (not the case with the other spot), there are still plenty of animals around. We started off the hike with a big surprise... a hot, summer Redback.

Though these guys are otherwise common, in the summer months they stay underground, avoiding the heat. This fella was not expected.

It was 85° and humid and we didn't predict too much action but this small American Toad was hopping along, undeterred.


Surely, no snakes would be out and about. It was a hot mid-afternoon. But along the water's edge, sleeping it off in the shade of the brush, this Water Snake was coiled up.


Not far from that one, another Nerodia was relaxing in the bushes. Just check out how bright red those saddles are!



Turtles were pretty hard to come by, oddly enough. Finally, Andrea spied this Painter catching some rays.


And another snoozing Water Snake.


Some humans and their dogs were on a beach area and when they moved, we went and explored. Evidently, one of them had stepped (or stood?) on a log. When I flipped it, this tiny Pickerel with a skinned heel was under it.

I'm happy to report that it hopped off as if absolutely nothing was wrong with it. May it live a long and happy life.

Due to the time and effort we'd put in at the first place, we didn't have enough gas for a full hike here and we wound up turning back before too long. Still, the best was yet to come. Back towards the beginning of the park, we saw this gorgeous, large Water Snake laying in the shallow water.

We got to sit there, just us and the snake, and watch it float, explore and eventually take a graceful swim off into the reeds. Pure magic and a gift from nature.


The next morning, we had our Sunday pancake breakfast in the car in an effort to get into Bristol County before the heat hit hard. We got down there by 8 AM and it was already pretty toasty. Still, our first stop in the garden rewarded us with a small (last year's model?) Garter Snake.


In the shaded woods, more Cuadate surprises awaited us. Under the cool, moist logs, Redbacks and Leadbacks were plentiful!




We explored a nearly dry vernal pool next. There is still enough water to serve whatever stragglers might be late to morph and we startled plenty of chirping Greens and Bulls but never got our cameras on a frog until this Wood Frog hopped into view.


Andrea then spotted a few newly emerged Peepers! This little speck of a frog was pretty hard to photograph. (He's on the stick.)


Andrea spotted another Wood. The flash on the camera was behind a leaf, thus the greenish tint to the picture.

It's interesting that Wood Frogs, a species we see mostly in March when they come out of hibernation, are also fairly common in hot weather.

I was sneaky. I was stealthy. I got this shot of a Painted Turtle through the bushes before he could see me.


These two Garters were close together, gearing up for a big day of being snakes.



We got down to the waterfall, traditionally our half-way point, and took a sit-down. In the distance, we could see some Painters up.

Here's some closer-ups...



I saw a dot sticking up in the water about 20 feet from where we sat. I zoomed in.


Another distant basking spot was well occupied with Painted Turtles.


Carrying on, we got to a rusty car hood in a field that was likely to be empty underneath, thanks to the heat. But one hot Garter was under the edge.


Under a rock that was right out in the open and in sandy soil, this Leadback beat the odds.


Back to the river, near the beginning... three Painters were being Sun Turtles.


The bunk beds have been snake-free for us for the last 5 years or so. Still, we always look. I'm glad we did, so we could see this resting Garter digesting a meal.


Andrea wasn't feeling well, so we decided to call it a day. This happy Painter was our last animal of the weekend.


And that is that.