September 13, 2012
I was finally able to make a trip out to the Sky Islands area in southern Arizona. This has been an area I’ve wanted to explore for many years, but due to timing or available resources I haven’t been able to. The Sky Islands are a series of mountains in southern Arizona that include the Baboquivari Mountains, Whetstone Mountains, Chiricahua Mountains, Huachuca Mountains, Pinaleño Mountains, Dragoon Mountains, Santa Catalina Mountains, and Santa Rita Mountains. All of the mountains are within Santa Cruz, Pima, and Cochise counties. It was a little late in the year to go and be successful in finding many reptiles and amphibians, but it was still monsoon season and the temps had been good the last two weeks.
My friend Jason and I left Thursday morning and planned to stay in the community of Green Valley. The plan was to hike during the day at certain locations and mountains and then road cruise well into the night on various paved and dirt roads in the areas. We got to the Santa Rita Mountains around 5 PM and began driving some roads. It had poured along the west face of the Santa Rita’s, but as is typical in Arizona monsoons, it only rained in that one area and you could watch the rain move across the valley. 
Along one of the dirt roads it looked like it was going to rain on us, and for a few minutes it did lightly rain, but the clouds moved off and that was it. 
The area is beautifully green and there were thousands of these brightly colored green, yellow, and black grasshoppers everywhere.
They are called the Western Horse Lubber grasshopper, Taeniopoda eques, and are about 2.5 inches long (6.5 cm). They are one of the largest grasshoppers in North America. These things are big! We did what we could to not run over them but it was impossible, they were walking over every part of every road in vast numbers. We drove for a while and did not see anything else.
After having dinner in Green Valley we wanted to do some road driving. The temperature was already pretty cool, which was troubling. While road cruising we found a couple of small Western Diamondback rattlesnakes, Crotalus atrox, that had been struck and killed by vehicles. A short time later we found an adult Black-tailed rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus, stretched across the road. While trying to get some shots of the snake he would not stop moving and trying to get away from us. Most rattlesnakes will hold their ground and stay in one place, but not all. This was about the best shot I could get of the snake on the side of the road. 
I had been helping Jason with keeping the snake in a position in which he could get some shots. While we were trying to shoot it, the snake decided he’d be better off high up in a thorn bush. At first this seemed almost impossible in getting a shot, but the more the snake crawled up into the bush the better the shooting opportunities got.
While crawling through the bush the snake was slower and seemed to feel more comfortable in where he was. That made getting good shots of it a little easier. Instead of trying to keep the snake out of the bush we just let it go where it wanted and it worked out better for all of us. During the whole time we spent with the snake it never rattled or struck at us. Because it was just below head height in the bush, we didn’t even have to lie on the ground to shoot it!
After some more road cruising and ever falling temps we found one more snake; an adult Western Diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, alive and well on the road. This snake rattled immediately and struck at us repeatedly. This is pretty standard behavior for diamondbacks and we were expecting it. Due to some close calls with rattlesnakes recently, I was a little more hesitant to get down on the ground and go eye to eye with it, especially since he was lunging at us and moving non-stop. After a few minutes he calmed down enough to stay in one place but continued to rattle. I was hoping he would be a little more defiant in his position, maybe arching up in strike position, but he coiled up tightly and sulked.
That would be the last thing we would find that night. It was only about 10 PM but it was getting too cool already and the temps were dropping. We called it a night.
September 14, 2012
The plan for the day was to drive along certain highways (which are just two lane roads) and look for reptiles while heading to hike up Huachuca Canyon in the Ft. Huachuca U.S. Army installation. Huachuca Canyon is famous for its birds, many of which are not seen anywhere else in the United States. There are also good reptiles that can be found there as well such as; the Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake, Crotalus willardi, and the Banded Rock Rattlesnake, Crotalus Lepidus. These were two rattlesnakes we really wanted to find. The Ridge-nosed rattlesnake is a long shot unless you know where to look (we didn’t), but the Banded Rock rattlesnake is more commonly found. We felt pretty good that we’d at least find a Banded Rock rattlesnake.
On the way to Ft. Huachuca along one of the roadways Jason saw a very small Black-tailed Rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus, on the side of the road. While trying to get shots of it, it kept moving but very slowly. At first we thought it was due to the time of day and the coolness of the morning, but we soon learned that it may have been struck by a car, at least near the tail. We gently lifted it and moved it to an area of sun and shade and hoped it would recover.
Jason shooting the little guy.
When we arrived at Huachuca Canyon, we were the only people hiking in the canyon. There were no other vehicles parked nearby. Just a few weeks or so earlier this place would have been filled with birders, people coming to see and photograph the unique birds in the area. While hiking about a mile or so up the canyon and along the canyon center and we were at 6100′ (1860 m) elevation. Jason came around some bushes and yelled “Oh my god!” I thought he found one of the rattlesnake species we were looking for. As I came around the bush Jason finished his exclamation with the word “Bear!” I looked up the canyon and about 30 yards (27 m) ahead of us was a large bear. This shot was taken immediately after I changed my underwear.
This is exactly as we found him. I took a lot of photos of this guy, some of which are understandably blurry. He was really close!
Actually the bear didn’t seem to care about us as we shot numerous photos of it. Initially I was pretty intimidated. I’ve never hiked a bear, only seen them through car windows or heard them in my campsite, but never encountered one like this. I was getting a little more comfortable, but after about a minute or so it stopped and stared at us and then we could clearly tell that it caught our scent. We decided to give it a wide berth and walk well away from it to the right of us. This also allowed us to get out into much more open ground in case we needed it. A canyon fork headed off to our right and we began walking up it, leaving the bear to go on his way in the direction he was heading. The bear thought we were more interesting than whatever it was it had been doing before and began to follow us. Thinking we were just being too paranoid and nervous, we continued up the canyon and thought the bear would go another route. The bear continued following us and was now getting closer. The fear was creeping back into me and the thought that we were the only two people in the canyon. I wanted to get to some defensible high ground in case things got really ugly. I also told Jason that I thought I could out run him if it came to it!
We walked up a loose talus rock slope and took off our packs in case we had to get up a tree, or anywhere else, quickly. The bear reached the base of the talus slope and looked up at us as it kept walking. Jason clapped his hands loudly and the bear reacted to the sound and stopped moving. I threw a large rock ahead of and to the side of the bear hoping the rock would loosen other rocks and make more of a racket. It did just that and the bear wanted nothing more to do with us. It turned quickly and then walked away up an adjacent canyon and we never saw it again. That was something.
Thinking back on the bear, it never was aggressive with us and was most likely just curious. It’s a great example of why you never feed wild animals. If he had been fed from people he probably would not have left so easily, and would have kept coming toward us expecting to get something to eat. I’m very glad he was still wild and was not expecting anything. Unfortunately, we did not see anything else in the canyon.
We next drove to another canyon a little further south from Huachuca Canyon. This was a smaller canyon and we found aYarrow’s Spiny lizard Sceloporus jarrovii
and a couple of Canyon Treefrogs, Hyla arenicolor, but nothing more.
After dinner we wanted to road cruise an area near the international border of Mexico. Conditions seemed better than the night before and our spirits were high. Along the southern side of the road we came upon this rock formation.
We took some photos of it and I thought it looked really photogenic. Continuing along the road we came up to a small creek area with some standing water. Checking the water we found a couple of Red-spotted Toads, Anaxyrus punctatus, which were tiny! They proved frustratingly difficult to photograph, at least for me they did, due to moving at the exact moment you are depressing the shutter button.
While shooting the little toads we also found a Chiricahua Leopard Frog, Lithobates chiricahuensis. This was really cool as this species of frog is protected with the state of Arizona and is listed under the Endangered Species Act as Threatened. This is not a commonly seen frog. This frog is distinct from the Lowland Leopard Frog, Lithobates yavapaiensis which shares some of the same habitat, in that it’s eyes are upturned and located higher on top of the head. The second image clearly shows that particular physical characteristic.
I’ve read about and heard from birders that come to this area seeking a bird known as the Elegant Trogon, and that it’s such a wonderful experience to see one. I’m not a birder, but I understand the passion. This frog is like the equivalent of spotting an Elegant Trogon. I’ve hiked the Chiricahua Mountains and the Peloncillo Mountains in the past, but I’ve never seen one of these frogs. Cool! That was it, the temps were getting too low and nothing else was seen that night.
September 15, 2012
Since this was our last day in which to find things, we wanted to maximize our time and locations. We headed to the eastern slope of the Santa Rita Mountains early to allow for finding animals basking in the morning sun and road driving on the way there.
Conditions were the best yet and it was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time. We headed up one of the numerous canyon roads and found a stream crossing the dirt road. Jason got out to investigate a small pool on the north side of the road and saw two Chiricahua Leopard Frogs on the bank. Grabbing our cameras and going back to the water’s edge, the frogs jumped into the water and hid under an overhang on the embankment. We never did get any shots. Here’s Jason pointing to the area the frogs escaped to.
We found another Canyon Treefrog, Hyla arenicolor,
and a small Ornate Tree Lizard, Urosaurus ornatus.
Crappy photo, I only had a very wide angle lens on my camera at the time and this was the best I could get. While searching for the frogs, there were a few of these spiders running along the top of the water.
They were large and would actually go under the water. Don’t have any idea what species they were, possibly a Dolomedes sp(?) water spider. The area here is simply beautiful. Some shots of the habitat.
Jason on the hunt.
That’s all we found in this area. We continued up into a little higher elevation and then began hiking looking for our target rattlesnakes. Found several of these large fungi that looked like exploded pumpkins.
We found one more Canyon Treefrog but didn’t find anything else and moved to another canyon.
After finding nothing there either, we decided to head back to Green Valley and be in position to start road driving as soon as the sun set. Our plan was to hike in the higher elevations of the Santa Rita’s on the western side and then drive some of the higher elevation roads before they cooled down too much. The last two nights we had gotten to the higher elevation roads a little too late. This time we were going to be in position at the right time. The Santa Rita Mountains from the west.
At 5500′ (1670 m) elevation we checked a large rock outcropping. Throughout this trip I’ve been amazed at the variety of plant life and the abrupt changes in ecosystems from one area to another. Having hiked and explored lower elevation deserts most of my life I thought I knew a thing or two about the Ocotillo plant, Fouquieria splendens. For one, it’s always found in low elevation deserts, does not occur in the higher deserts such as the Mohave Desert, and looks pretty much like a bunch of dead spiny sticks except for the spring and any rain that may fall. It then blooms with small thick green leaves and bright red flowers at its tips. If you saw it, then you would know you were in low elevation desert.
So now in September, given it’s the monsoon season, here are Ocotillo in great abundance and very green. But the weird thing is its 5500′ elevation and they are thriving. I would never have thought they would grow at such altitudes, and seeing them among Pinion and Juniper trees was just a little off for me. We never did find anything of significance in the rocks.
The view from where we parked to check the rock outcropping, looking south towards Mexico.
We began road driving about an hour and a half before sunset since the temps were dropping already.
Off on the side of the dirt road we were on Jason spotted a snake. We got out to check it and discovered Jason had found a Green Rat Snake, Senticolis triaspis, the Holy Grail to most who come to this area looking for herps. Neither one of us had ever seen one of these snakes in the wild. I took some shots of Jason shooting his find. Up to this point the snake had not moved from where it was when Jason saw it.
Jason with his prize
We spent some time with it photographing it as best we could. It did not want to stay still. I finally convinced it to not move long enough for us to photograph it. We were super fortunate to have found it and then for it to stay still for several minutes and allow us to get good shots of it. These are natural light shots.
We wanted to shoot the snake with some flash as well, both as fill and as primary lighting. By the time we got our flashes on and ready to go the snake had had enough and would not stop moving at all, no matter what we tried. Much to the chagrin of those who seek these snakes above all others, we let it go and watched it crawl away up a cliff face and into the thick brush.
We were stoked! Road driving, which it seemed would be the best night of the trip, completely shut down due to temperature drops, even in the much lower elevations, and we were done by 9:30 PM. We met up with a local herper that night who told us that starting the next day, the temps would be back to normal and the hunting should be really good. We just happened to hit it when a cold front moved through the area. As is always the case!
What we thought was going to be an epic trip turned out to be a little disappointing. We did find the Chiricahua Leopard Frog and a Green Rat Snake, which in itself made the trip, but having been in the Chiricahua’s during the start of monsoon season in the past, I had been expecting more. It was really good to get out and I saw and hiked areas I’ve never seen before. I guess if it was a guarantee we’d find everything we were looking for, every time we went out, it wouldn’t be as much fun.
We went into Green Valley and had dinner at a local restaurant, which just happened to have its karaoke night begin five minutes after we had sat down. It was only then that we discovered the true wildlife of southern Arizona.
Kevin
Snakeshooter 