Ontario Herping!

Hey everyone!
I have been away this past week on a bit of a vacation, tent camping on Manitoulin Island in "Northern" Ontario. My partner stumbled across a garter snake one day, which lead to me unintentionally herping!
My partners uncle has been camping on this particular piece of family land for some 38 years, and I am honoured to be the very first person ever to have hunted for snakes there - as he says! Of course I found a few other things along the way. Without further adieu...








This one was found around the embers of the fire!




Pond was full of these tadpoles/polliwogs





Cute little thing.




My partner showing off my third garter catch (I think). Gave me a bit of a nip! Only one the whole trip who got me though.




Fiesty one, slightly larger than the last.




Largest snake I caught the whole trip! Musked me something awful, too.





And, my all time favourite... and also the first snake I caught, oddly enough... the smooth green snake! Very similar to the rough green snake found in the USA.
This beauty caught me so off guard. I was hunting down a garter I had seen sneak into a bush, and while I was peaking in I saw this one curled up in a circle, sitting in plain view atop a flattened tree branch. Too cool!!






Thanks for looking - I had a blast! Can't wait to go herping again.

That looks like a wonderful time! I love the scenery in the photos, too. The big garter you caught has good size, and the smooth green snake is a great find. I have only seen one. They are such a beautiful green.

Wow, that green one's really pretty! Looks like a fun time

looks like you had lots of fun. I'm not too far from northwestern Ontario but I have yet to spot a smooth green. Even working with mb conservation at the narcisse dens, I have yet to see one.

Thanks everyone! It was fun (apart from crappy, cool weather). On the days the sun was out, I saw almost as many green snakes as garters, believe it or not! We were on the coast of Lake Huron. I grew up in Northwestern Ontario (near the Manitoba border) and had never seen one before!

For some reason I couldn't see all the pictures but I'm now seeing the toad found by the embers. So cute!

Love the smooth green. Went looking for them today but didn't find any.