The order of events for the second session changed slightly due to Dennis Blejski's work schedule. We had the herp identification activity after lunch on the first day. We captured some of the specimens over the weekend, but found an Eastern Box Turtle and a Glass Lizard crossing roads on our way to work and a Southern Copperhead crossing the Beidler Forest driveway. A couple of lizards around the picnic tables and we had a collection filling all 18 stations!
On Tuesday, we took our first trip around the boardwalk. We are not the only creatures that choose not to move around when the heat and the humidity begin to soar! Animal sightings were few.
After lunch on the second day, Dennis Blejski brought a collection of herps from his collection.
While off the boardwalk, we saw a variety of animals, but the magnificently-camouflaged Southern Copperhead was the highlight of the walk!
Although amphibians are secretive and sunny, hot days are not the best conditions for finding them, campers did use their newly-learned frog call skills to identify various singing treefrogs. We also nearly stepped on a Marbled Salamander while checking our minnow traps behind the outdoor classroom.
Throughout the week, campers also created various herp-related art items.
Camp ended on Friday with a herpathon along the boardwalk, lunch with families, and the presentation of diplomas and a CD of the week's images and sounds. Appropriately, a Southern Black Racer moved through the picnic area to help close out the week of herps.
The final session begins the third week of July. Let's hope the herps don't get a summer vacation!
Images by Mark Musselman
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