Beginner's Guide:
Herping at Kent Park
Follow the path until you find each view. Then, hover over or click the picture to learn why that habitat is important and what you might find there.
Kent Park protects a variety of habitats that Iowa’s reptiles and amphibians need to survive. It is a perfect place to begin your herping career.
As you walk, look for spots that might meet the needs of a reptile or amphibian. Food, heat, water, and shelter will keep herps close by.
Who might you see? Snakes, turtles, and lizards (rare but possible!) all travel through spaces like these during different parts of the day. At night, frogs and snakes are also on the move!
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Kent Park staffers are watching out for native turtles! Nests like these are covered to ensure that turtles eggs are not eaten by predators like raccoons, coyotes, and birds.
Why do we need turtles? Turtles keep environments healthy. They eat dead animals that would rot in water and on land. Once digested, turtles return the "carrion" to the environment in a much more usable form - poop! The empty egg shells and left over yolk from this nest will return vitamins and minerals to the soil.
Many of Iowa's herps are uniquely adapted to live in prairies like this one. Prairies provide basking (sun) spots, seeds, edible vegetation, nutritious insects, safe burrowing areas, and hiding places.
Notice the areas where habitats converge. These "edge spaces" are ideal living places; residents can take advantage of the benefits each environment offers.
Who might you see? Snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, toads, and salamanders all use prairies. Moving grass is usually a good thing to watch for.
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Many "herpers" spend most of their time wandering through brush, mud, water, and tall plants. Sometimes, it's okay to let the animals come to you. Choose a spot to sit quietly, listen, and observe sometimes the best approach is to sit quietly and observe.
Who knows what might hop, slither, or amble by an unobtrusive human?
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Edge habitat, areas where multiple habitats converge, doesn't get much better than this. The convergence of grassy prairie and forest offers a variety of temperatures, humidities, hiding spots, and food sources. The nearby pond also ensures a much-needed water supply.
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Ponds are hot spots for many herps. Spring rain and melting snow will fill ponds, drawing reptiles and amphibians as they wake up from winter hibernation. The calm, still waters of such ponds serve as breeding grounds some species.
What to look for:
- Lumps on logs - Basking turtles can easily slip into the water if predators appear.
- Branches hanging over the water - Water snakes can hunt or drop into the water.
- Two close bumps under duckweed and algae - Frog eyes peek out from just below the surface, while the body blends with plants.
- One pointy bump - Floating turtles may keep their nose or eyes above water.
- Egg clumps (grape-like = frog; gelatinous = salamander) or strings (toad) - Appear stuck to submerged vegetation in the spring.
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Venture off the beaten path to find shy Going off the beaten path is a great way to find shy herps. This dead tree, just off the maintained path, has everything a herp could want:
1. Basking spots
2. Cool, humid hideouts under the tree
3. Tasty treats like snails, isopods, and beetles.
4. Less human visitation.
Venture off the beaten path, or find a path less-traveled, to increase your chances of a reptile or amphibian encounter. This dead tree, just off the maintained path, has everything a herp could want.
Who will you find?
- Snakes. Basking in the sun, hiding under branches (lift them if you can!), or slipping away (you will see the grass smoothly parting). They also like the mice an
- Frogs and toads. Watch your step! Small frogs and toads hide in high grasses. They may forage for snails and insects breaking down this tree, or just cool down in the humid spots underneath.
- Turtles. Some, like ornate box turtles, do not spend much time in water. Look under branches to see whether there are turtles soaking in the humidity or hunting for insects.
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Food sources are great places to watch for herps. This bee colony could easily loose a few members to lizards or frogs.
While stinging insects can be risky without the right adaptation, bees, wasps, and ants are great sources of protein. Hives like this one may attract other prey, like rodents or birds, who hope to snack on honey or bees.
The dense foliage, in combination with ample sunny patches, makes this location suitable hunting grounds for a hungry herp.
Watch around food sources for signs of herps. This bee colony could easily loose a few members to lizards or frogs. While stinging insects are risky without the correct adaptations, bees, wasps, and ants are great sources of protein.
Hives like this one may attract other prey, like rodents or birds, who hope to snack on honey or bees.
The dense foliage surrounding this hive, along with ample sunny patches, creates an ideal hunting spot.
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We end our tour the same way we started it - by noting a secured turtle nest.
Both of the nests that we have seen were made by painted turtles. The females who laid these eggs would have begun looking for mates shortly after waking up from hibernation. They made the trek up from one of the nearby ponds in search of a perfect nesting spot. Each female dug down into the soil with her clawed feet, laid her eggs, and then carefully re-covered them with soil. Eggs typically hatch in 70-80 days, though some clutches may incubate throughout the winter, with hatchlings emerging during the following Spring.