A Wild Winter on the Edge

February of 2019 has been a wild ride so far.  We have experienced temperature fluctuations of 67 degrees, unusually high rain amounts and constant flooding of Ohio Brush Creek.  But this is what February brings to the Edge.

In early February, temperatures reached -6F, so I hiked out to Cedar Run to see if the creek was frozen.

There has been so much rain this year that even the extreme cold temperatures could not tame and completely freeze the wild waterway.

Cedar Run, a tributary of Ohio Brush Creek.

 Enjoy this short video of Cedar Run cutting through the Lilly/Bisher dolostone in winter.

So if temperatures reach -6F, one would not expect to find a reptile or amphibian out and about, right?  Well, three days after this cold snap, it reached 60F in Adams County, Ohio with ground temperatures of 52F.  Six days after the cold snap, air temperature was still 60-62F, but the ground temperature rose to 56F.  I started wondering if this was warm enough for any reptiles to emerge from their overwintering spots.  So I went out searching...

Eastern smooth earthsnake (Virginia valeriae) found on a warm day in February!

Sure enough, after a little light raking in the leaves in some earthsnake territory, I hit the jackpot.  The ground had warmed up enough that this Eastern smooth earthsnake measuring 205 mm's had emerged, most likely to get an earthworm meal.  This snake happened to be a re-capture which I caught in the same location on October 31, 2018.  It had lost about .9 grams of weight  (5.4 to 4.5g) since October.  Amazing that this cold-blooded animal could be above ground hiding in the leaf litter when temperatures were so cold 6 days earlier.  But in this part of Ohio, the ground rarely freezes very deep, and does not stay frozen long which is beneficial to many plant and animal species.

After processing this snake for a snake survey, its release was recorded the next day:

Whether it is the presence of animals like little brown skinks (Scincella lateralis) and green salamanders (Aneides aeneus), or plants like crossvine (bignonia capreolata) and  Eastern mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum), Adams County, with its warmer winters hosts many southern organisms surviving at their northernmost range.  I am no longer surprised when Jefferson salamander's mate on Christmas Day, or woodcocks display after Presidents' Day or even when Hepatica blooms after Valentine's Day.  This part of Ohio has the most frost free days in the state, and the plants and animals certainly take advantage of it.

Here are some amphibian species also found in the warm snap that followed the extreme cold snap this February:

Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) found near mating pool on Feb. 7, 2019

Red eft stage of Red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) found on Feb. 7, 2019.

Northern ravine salamander (Plethodon electromorphus) found on Feb.7, 2019.

Even though it gets cold in January and February, these animals are always days away from emerging and looking for food to get their year started.  At the same time, reminding us that spring is right around the corner and only inches deep in the soil.....waiting for that warm day.

Posted by: Mark Zloba