Joey's notes
Week ending 09-21-03
This week the temps have been down a bit. Early morning drives to campus are made more comfortable by the heater in the truck! By afternoon, air conditioning is greatly appreciated. Hurricane Isabel passed South Carolina, and high pressure was the norm. Weather matters. Now it is Autumn!
Monday (9-15-03), I checked the traps I had set (on Sunday 9-14-03) at the pond. Had an Eastern Painted Turtle, 4 small Bullfrogs, a small Redbelly Watersnake, a Giant Water Bug, and Predacious Diving Beetle. I reset the funnel traps. Under the tin, at the pond, were two Black Racers, one fresh and one crusty and pre-shed.
Tuesday (9-16-03), After work, I had a few minutes to ramble. I set out for nearby Newberry County, where I found and collected some Tiger Beetles, Cicicndela repanda and C. trifasciata, with the trifasciata being a new county record. I stopped by the pond and got my traps. I had a small Eastern Mud Turtle, a ton of small Bullfrogs, and again, the crusty-pre-shed Black Racer was still under the tin.
Wednesday (9-17-03), At work, we found a Smooth Earth Snake and a co-worker brought in a tiny Eastern Garter Snake she had found inside her home.
Thursday (9-18-03), At work, we found a Brown Snake and an Eastern Worm Snake under tin.
Friday (9-19-03), On the way home, a Grey Fox darted across the road. At the pond, I visited that crusty, pre-shed Black Racer again. He is looking better and will shed by the time I write this up on 9-22-03.
Saturday (9-20-03), Road trip. I got up and on the road at about 6 AM. I drove straight to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland! Let me explain. In the Orangeburg-Bamburg County areas, there are these little towns named after European countries! So I really did drive to Norway. Norway, South Carolina, that is! The others as well.
I was interested in catching a snake/Tiger Beetle in Bamburg County. Bamburg was the ONLY county in SC where I had never collected a Tiger Beetle, and I also wanted to catch a snake there. As I hunted a place the hunt, the snake was easily found AOR. It was an Eastern Garter Snake. Stripe-less, and looking reddish brown, I thought it worth keeping. The Tiger Beetles came a bit later. Cicindela punctulata that would make for a county record. Cool. Now I have caught Tiger Beetles in EVERY SC county! Objectives accomplished in Bamburg, I went over to Barnwell. Collected more Tiger Beetles, C.punctulata and (for another new county record) several C.nigrior. I flipped a lot of tin/debris, but found no snakes in Barnwell. That just means I will be back. In Aiken, I passed a nice looking BBQ hut but did stop at a Huddle House for a burger. My next business was in Edgefield County. Found and collected some C.punctulata and C.scutellaris (both being new county records). I found no snakes in Edgefield but that just means I will be back. Continuing on, I made a couple of half-hearted stops as I made my way through Saluda County, but my best find there was on the road, an AOR Eastern Kingsnake. Got home, after about 12 hours on the road. Lots of maps to make little notes on, lots of specimens to work up.
Sunday (9-21-03), Church day, family day. Fall begins.
Hope Fall treats us all well,
Joey Holmes
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