I will start with late July. A few researchers from Ohio State University came to Kansas to collect venom samples from Massasauga rattlesnakes. So we set out to aid them in thier search. Here the totals:

15 + Massasaugas
2 Prairie Rattlesnakes
3 Great Plains Rat Snakes
2 Texas Brown Snakes
1 Texas Longnose Snake
2 Kansas Glossy Snakes
(I know there were more in the other cars, but I cannot recall the totals)

Glossy and Longnose Snakes have a limited range in Kansas. They are always a good find and both are protected in Kansas.

Over the past few weeks, Mike and I have been able to roadcruise Ellis County...Totals:
TMTC Western Slender Glass Lizards
TMTC Prairie Rattlesnakes
5 Great Plains Rat Snakes
1 Speckled King Snake
1 Eastern Hognose- We are at the furthest west of their range. They are somewhat uncommon here in western Kansas, although they seem to be fairly common in some places. The Easterns we have here are incredible looking. Here is an example of a western Ks eastern hog:

http://webcat.fhsu.edu/ksfauna/herps/index.asp?page=species&species_id=393-995&dots=yes&tributaries=yes&isAnura=&map=ks

1 Bullsnake
TMTC Lined Snakes
TMTC Ringnecks
TMTC Western Coachwhips
TMTC Woodhouse Toads

Herps are really moving out here. We had to go to the Red Hills region of southwestern Kansas last weekend for a night, so we herped...Totals:

1 Prairie Kingsnake
1 huge Coachwhip
1 Massasauga
1 Black Rat Snake
TMTC Woodhouse Toad
TMTC Plains Leopard Frogs
1 G.P. Narrow-mouthed Toad
1 Great Plains Toad
1 Common Garter Snake
1 Western Slender Glass Lizard

Now so far we were disappointed with the night's totals. We had to make the three hour drive back to Hays and it was about midnight, so we set out. Along the way we ran into a massive storm and we enjoyed a lightshow the entire way home. I was hoping we would get some active rain that would set the Tiger Salamanders in motion, but we had no such luck. At about 1:30 in the morning, we saw a small white snake in the road, it was very...glossy...and about a foot long. I turned the truck around and we went back to find a Kansas Glossy Snake crawling across the road. This was a great find because Kansas Glossy Snakes have not been recorded from that far north in Kiowa County. It was a great specimen.

A little while later we crossed into Edwards County and after a few minutes, we spotted a DOR. We went back to find an adult Dipodemys (Kangaroo Rat) sitting in the middle of the road. We agreed that this was not the DOR that we had seen, so we went back further to find an adult Texas Longnose Snake DOR. This was a somewhat significant find because it was a county record and a slight range extension in that part of Kansas.

We have had some great luck out here, but we still have yet to find a Western Hognose or an adult Eastern. Watch for a large post soon that will be complete with pictures. (And I mean LARGE)...

chad