The Sandhills Chronicles: Night of Nights Part 2
The sun hadn’t even set yet but we had all the signs of an amazing adventure. We drove through the sunset stopping here and there for short hikes in search of our quarry with no luck. As the minutes turned to hours with nothing to show, it seemed we had gambled wrong. There was just nothing on the road. Until—magically—there was. We had almost lost hope in the success of our mission and then our luck changed for the good. Turning the corner on an old road with tufts of grass growing inside the broken asphalt, I yelled for Thomas to stop the vehicle. We slid on the loose pavement and I jumped out of the passenger door before the car had completely stopped.
Sitting on the edge of the road was a gorgeous sub-adult pygmy rattlesnake. We were elated! We spent a few minutes photographing this beautiful snake and then moved it safely off the road. Pygmy rattlesnakes are a special find. North Carolina Pygmy Rattlesnakes are typically much more colorful than their Southern cousins, the dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake. They often range from a pale pinkish to an almost fire engine red in some locales. Aside from their coloration, these snakes are relatively rare in the state. They require specific habitats that are unfortunately being clearcut at an alarming rate. As a result of their desirability to the pet trade and low abundance, they are a protected species in North Carolina.
If the trip had ended here, we wouldn’t have minded. But as if by magic, the night seemed to get better and better. Trips like these to the sandhills—whether we are road cruising or hiking in the region—usually go one of two ways. You either find copious amounts of reptiles and amphibians or nothing at all. Thankfully, this was one of the storied good nights. If I had to guess, I’d say our trips typically end with us scratching our heads wondering why the animals weren’t out like they were “supposed” to be.
After our experience with the pygmy, we drove back to a few other areas we’d passed earlier in the evening. The roadside ditches and nearby vernal pools seemed alive with a cacophony of frog calls. We heard and saw all matter of frogs that evening from Barking Treefrogs to Pinewoods Treefrogs and Copes Gray Treefrogs. We even spotted a small scarlet snake out on the crawl. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. The highlight of the entire evening was spotting a pine barrens tree frog. This was the first time finding this species for both Thomas and I. We spent at least two hours tracking this one individual.
It must have been three am on some dusty backroad when we finally found this very vocal Pine Barrens Treefrog. We would play frog calls on our phones and tried hilariously to imitate the calls ourselves. After a few minutes, we would hear a faint reply call, and then nothing. After painstakingly triangulating where the calls were coming from, we finally found him. This gorgeous little frog wearing his bandit mask had us overjoyed. We photographed him on the branch he was calling from for several minutes. After getting some half-decent photos we decided the night couldn’t get any better and called it a night, or well morning.
Thomas and I both fought the urge to sleep the entire ride home. This is the sketchy side effect of an all-night herp trip. We did all we could do to keep our eyes open by blasting the air conditioning and loading up on copious amounts of gas station caffeine. The thrill of our successful adventure waned as the hum of the tires and rhythmic motions of the highway made our eyes heavy. I got home as the sun was beginning to rise. I was thankful that we had made it but realized Thomas still had another two hours to go once he dropped me off. I felt bad for him and offered to let him sleep it off at my house, but he said he felt wide awake for some reason. He then set off southward to his house. Again, that dude is a saint. I never heard from him again. But that’s because he’s too famous now to answer my calls—a story for another day.
This is Part 2 of 4 of the Sandhills Chronicles
A version of this article was originally published in the Orianne Society’s Indigo Magazine Winter 2020 Issue
Check Out Part 1:
The Sandhills Chronicles
Have you ever found a place where you feel at home? A place that seems to have infinite possibilities and mysteries around every corner? The North Carolina Sandhills is just such a place for me. I remember the first time I visited this hallowed ground in pursuit of reptiles and amphibians. I was around 18 years old and fresh out of high school and basic training in the US Army. My love affair with this region is also inextricably intertwined with the military. This is because the Army still uses the area for training.
Will check you out on Amazon and look forward to your next writings!
Love your writing and passion for all those critters. You have such knowledge and talent as a writer! Have you thought about authoring books?