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Anyone in Ft. Myers, Fl. visit here?

Mark Dwight

Mark Dwight

New member
I Just moved to Ft. Myers Fl. Anyone happen to know a good herping spot in the area? Its been warm here but so far I've seen no snakes (just lots of turtles and anoles)....and I've really, REALLY looked :)

Thanks
 
Welcome to Lee County!

What part of Ft. Myers are you in? We are in Alva, at the northeast end of the county.

We have a pretty active herp society that will be meeting a week from today at the nature center (see www.CalusaHerp.org for more info). We will have a big picnic in April, and probably will have a field herp trip in the next month or 2, also. It is a great way to get to know the local herpers. Some of them occasionally get together for field herping, and some keep various kinds of critters for pets or breeding.

Send me your email address if you would like to be put on the email list for flyers and info.
 
Corn_Oasis said:
I Just moved to Ft. Myers Fl. Anyone happen to know a good herping spot in the area? Its been warm here but so far I've seen no snakes (just lots of turtles and anoles)....and I've really, REALLY looked :)

Thanks
Click to expand...

I live south of you Naples! I don't have any real good spots to go herping, except out in the everglades. We go out there fishing all the time! But in the 20 years of living here, I have seen lots of species of snakes. Corns, pine snakes, black racers, rattlers, cottonmouths and even an Indigo bout 15 years back. My brother even kept a WC Corn for a few weeks. Keep looking, they are out there!

:eatsmiley
 
I've got family down in Ft. Myers. When I head down there this summer, I'm planning on doing a little field observation. :)
 
Thanks

Thanks guys!

I'm discovering Florida is a very weird place :shrugs:
In California I could have found 100 snakes in these kinds of temps. Maybe it's just to early in the year. I've seen lots of black racers and looking under boards I've found 4 ringneck snakes...but that's it. What seems strange to me is that I've seen no mice or rats...in fact, no rodents at all. Where are all the rodents? The other thing that's seems very odd to me is that there is water everywhere but I've seen not a single water snake or garter snake...in any other state I would have found 100's of water and garter snakes by now...Where are all the snake?

Last summer I spent the whole month of June snake hunting in the Gainsville area of Flordia....same thing there....no rodents or snakes to be found...I hunted for miles along water ways and never saw a single water or garter snake. In a month of hunting I found one snake...a yellow rat snake.

I've been snake hunting the U.S. for over 30 years and have never seen anything like this....Where the heck are the rodents and snakes in Florida??
 
MotleyCrue said:
I live south of you Naples! I don't have any real good spots to go herping, except out in the everglades. We go out there fishing all the time! But in the 20 years of living here, I have seen lots of species of snakes. Corns, pine snakes, black racers, rattlers, cottonmouths and even an Indigo bout 15 years back. My brother even kept a WC Corn for a few weeks. Keep looking, they are out there!

:eatsmiley
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Maybe I'll try the Everglades in the next couple of months. I've seen a few gators since I've been here....but I would rather see a nice corn or king snake. :crazy02:
 
Snakes are around on the warm days in winter. But they will become MUCH more numerous in the next several weeks, from March to May or so. You may be looking in more pristine, wilderness habitats. Most hunters look in agricultural areas. They usually start hunting the cane fields around Clewiston starting in March. Many kings will be sunning on the canal banks on a sunny morning after a chilly night. They will also flip tin and other cover during other parts of the day. Corns and yellow rats are often found sheltered in palm tree crowns, roofs of old barns or other old buildings, and even under bridges this time of year.

Once the nights turn hot, around May or so, they start road cruising more. However, during warm spring evenings, a number of corns and other snakes can be found on roads at dusk, especially in agricultural areas. A lot of them seem to be males looking for love.
 
I really wish I was back in the South Eastern US right now... My aunt in Louisiana has already found 3 Speckled Kings under a board in her yard. She placed it back so that when I go visit I can go board flippin... I love my Aunt, she is such a facilitator...LOL
 
kathylove said:
Snakes are around on the warm days in winter. But they will become MUCH more numerous in the next several weeks
Click to expand...

Thank you for the good advice Kathy. Looks like they're already getting active...saw lots of snakes yesterday including a large E. Diamondback rattler. EDR's are one of my favorite snakes so it was a great day. :)

I'll post pics when/if I find any Corns.
 
I want to be in Florida right now....:(.
I used to go out to the Eglin Reserve and catch banded water snakes, and brown water snakes. I also had a few pictures of some Pitcher plants that I nearly stepped on out there.
My buddy almost caught a legless lizard, and there was no end to little lizards we used to see everywhere. Fence lizards, green anoles, little skinks.
I miss the variation of wildlife out there. I used to pick up scorpions and move them away from the sand bags before people started to take their tests, because we had one guy get stung and he started to hyperventilate. He thought he was going to die, but it was all in his mind.
 
I saw a juvenile Cottonmouth this weekend. About 3 feet long and pretty thick. The stripes they have as juveniles were mostly faded but you could definitely still see them. I had snapped some photos with my cell but they were crap. Should be lots of fun looking for more the next few months though.

:eatsmiley
 
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