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Calling All Experts.

D

daisy

Snow! Snow!
Last year, I had some great advice from this site on Field Herping while I was on vacation. This year, I'm headed out again, and since I know nothing about your respective areas, I'd love some advice on some of the best spots to do a little field observation, and what field guide you might reccomend for your area.
1. First week of May, I head to Florida. I'm staying in Indian Rocks, not far from St. Pete's. I will only have limited access to a car, so if there's some suggestions for the area that would be great. Time of day, location, and possibly what I might be looking specifically for.
2. End of June through the beginning of July, I'm headed for Wyoming. Specifically a camping/road trip in Yellowstone Park. I've never been to this neck of the woods - what can I expect here?
Thanks in advance for the suggestions!
 
I am not an expert or even close. But i do spend allot of time at Indian rocks beach. Pickings are going to be slim if you have limited access to a car. Mike lives a little north in clearwater and may have some better ideas.
 
Out Wyoming's way your pickings are going to be slim as I remember, as well. My best luck was near creeks or rivers, and I found mostly garters. Not all that impressive, to be honest.

Good luck on your trip, though!
 
Well, since you'll only be observing, The closest place I can think of to where you'll be (Indian Rocks) is Wasingham Park. Before this place became a county park, it was one of my "honey spots". I have not been there since the late 80's, but it was a good spot for king snakes. Here's a link to their site.
http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/22_Walsingham.htm
If you can manage to get transportation, in South St Petersburg is the Boyd Hill Nature Trail on Lake Maggorie. This is one of the few places left in Pinellas Co. that you have a fair chance of spotting an Indigo Snake. As far as Field Guides for snakes, Alan Tennant's Snakes of Florida is the best. Good luck :cheers:
 
in wyoming the herps are few and far between but when you find them they will usualy be near water. You could expect to run into Bull snakes, garter snakes, yellow bellied racers, im not sure but you might find milk snakes in burned out areas and possibly rattlers of various sorts in and arround praire dog towns. having not been to the area in person i dont know what other treasures you may encounter but im sure you will see something.
 
I recently moved out of Wyoming. I lived less than 25 miles from yellowstone for about 6 years. At the elevation that the park is located, there are few snakes. Your best bet is in the northern section of the park around mammoth. Mostly garter snakes though.

On the east side of the park, around Cody and Wapiti, there is an abundance of prairie rattlesnakes as well as garters that I have seen. I have seen loads daily on the south fork, but the northfork has its share as well. A specific area that I found prairie rattlers was on road 6FU or newly renamed Stagecoach Trail. Its just a dirt road between the 2 forks. Ask any local and they can direct you. Mostly rolling sage covered arid landscape and the snakes are pretty easy to find along the roads in the evening after a hot day. July is a pretty good time to find them.

Anywhere around Cody can pretty much be characterized as high desert and has plenty of rattlers, but I haven't seen any other species. Good luck!

-Tony
 
As MB said, Walshingham is great, I'm there almost every other weekend and there is a bonus across the street, a great botanical garden. Weedon is a great place to explore too as the trails wind around the lake, home to lots of bandeds and racers, (maybe more, only been a couple times) but there are HUGE spiders hanging over the trails so not for those afraid of those. (My "deathly afraid of spiders" roomate went and was so into trying to get pictures of them that she forgot about her fear for a bit.... ) Honeymoon is the place for gopher tortoise, rattlers, owls, osprey, and armadillos and a must do if your into close up wildlife. This is REAL close to you and I would recomend it highly because of that. Here is the St Pete/Clearwater site of parks. Also I started a thread here that may be helpful. Hope you have fun here in my backyard :) I feel like a tourist every weekend....
 
Thanks for all of the wonderful advice already! Now I can't wait until it's time to go. I'm looking into some of the areas that were mentioned in Florida - with any luck, I'll manage a car at least one day.
As for Wyoming - it sounds like a challenge. :)
 
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