In Quest of Quarry

Many fern species in the genus Asplenium, such as American Hart's-Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium), Walking Fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum), Wall Rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) and Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) grow on damp, calcereous, basic substrates such as cliffs or talus slopes, so the old limestone quarry north of town seemed like the perfect place to search for these uncommon plants. Other than some Northern Lady Ferns mixed in among the brush and the odd Fragile Fern clinging to the steep rock faces there were no ferns to be found, but in the world of nature there's always something new to see and the jaunt proved to be worthwhile.

This little Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) was barely thicker than the grapevines it was scaling (another bad play on words) and so well camouflaged that at first I didn't notice it less than a foot from my face.

Circumnavigating the steep rock faces of a quarry on often treacherous footing consisting of loose rocks on a hot, sunny day probably isn't everyone's idea of fun, but had I not done so I never would have spotted either the Water Snake or this nifty little plant.

Small but striking in appearance, this little Liverwort was growing so deep inside a crevice that I could barely bring my point-and-shoot camera into play. I think this is Reboulia hemisphaerica, the description fits and the habitat is right on the money. Liverworts have no true roots or vascular tissue for the intake and conduction of water and nutrients, nor can they control water loss through pores, hence they tend to be encountered in moist, shady habitats.

As always, life exploits whatever scant habitats and meagre resources that are available. A group of white asters growing in the thin soil cover over the limestone rubble was perhaps my best find of the day, and this Online Key to the Asters of New England proved helpful in identifying the flowers as Small White Asters (Symphyotrichum racemosum).

The flowers are in one-sided arrays.

Note how hair on the stem occurs in lines, and the stem leaves are only slightly clasping, or not clasping at all.

The phyllaries are correct for this species.

Top and bottom views of the leaves.

All in all, an interesting habitat to visit, and I think I'll be making another trip within the next week.

A Snake in the Grass

It's said that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – to which I could also add that a snake in the hand is worth one bite. Nerodia sipedon can be somewhat ill-tempered and tends to bite more readily than our other local serpents.

Not to worry, though, the Northern Water Snake is not venomous, and this individual was small, only about 30 cm long, so the bite amounted to little more than a couple of scratches on my finger. Naturally any wild animal will try to defend itself if it feels threatened. The snake was doing its best to flee and the bite was a result of my capturing and subsequent carelessness in handling it.

The snake is still somewhat riled up ...

... but perfectly safe to hold – no fangs whatsover.

After a minute or so it became accustomed to being handled and didn't try to bite or escape any more.

Looks like it had something for lunch. In contrast to the brown camouflage patterning on its upper side, the patterns on the belly of the snake are actually beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

After I released the snake it was in no hurry to leave, at one point it was trying to crawl into and take shelter in the cuff of my pants.

There were several Northern Water Snakes out and about in the vicinity of the marsh, and one individual was a good meter in length. This one, about 60 cm long, was trying its best to look inconspicuous.

Our most commonly encountered snake is the Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). Here's a lucky shot of that marvelous forked tongue that allows the snake to smell which direction a scent is coming from.

The color and patterning of Garter Snakes can vary – some have reddish-brown sides, and the dark stripes of this youngster are broken by pale spots.

The following two photos were taken in Presqu'ile Provincial Park on a warm day in mid-March. Garter snakes mate when they emerge from hibernation, and they do it as a group with several males attempting to mate with one female. There were three groups within a few feet of one another and six or eight snakes in this particular cluster (it was kind of tough to get an accurate count), with snakes constantly going into or leaving the mating ball.