Foot Travel Welcome: Herpetologist hangout around Snake Road

Ben Matthews

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Herpetology enthusiasts from across the country travelled to Wolf Lake, Illinois, for a herpetology meet-up to view the autumn migration of wildlife along Snake Road on Oct. 5, 2019, at LaRue-Pine Hills.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'} From front left, Nick Scobel of Ann Arbor, Michigan, walks with Joseph Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, and his parents, Jeremy and Jill Schumacher, while looking for wildlife along Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
Matt Cage of Denver, Colorado, exits a tent as meet-up organizer and seasoned herpetologist Tim Warfel, also of Denver, fixes a tent spike Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
A group of herpetology enthusiasts eat breakfast at Mom's Kitchen on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Jonesboro, Illinois, before traveling to Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
South Florida herpetology enthusiast Dermot Bowden, left, waits as Joshua Holbrook of North Carolina retrieves his pack before hiking Snake Road on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Montreat College herpetologist Joshua Holbrook steps onto Snake Road on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Wolf Lake, Illinois. The Forest Service road closes twice a year to accommodate for snake migration patterns. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
A green tree frog hangs inside of a gate post at the south entrance to Snake Road on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
A red milk snake slithers through fallen leaves Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, on Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
From right, South Florida resident Dermot Bowden looks towards Lloyd Heilbrunn of Jupiter, Florida, and Joseph Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, while photographing a rough green snake Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, on Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
An eastern rough green snake slithers along a tree branch Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Jeremy Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, hugs Peter Berg of Chicago after accidentally crossing paths Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
South Florida resident Dermot Bowden observes a pink salamander beneath a bluff Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, near Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
Cape Girardeau resident Tommy James takes a photo of a green tree frog Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
A green tree frog sits on a branch Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
Montreat College environmental science instructor Joshua Holbrook views an eastern red bat Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
An eastern red bat sleeps on a leaf Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)
Morning light shines through a canopy of trees in LaRue Swamp on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, near the north entrance to Snake Road in Wolf Lake, Illinois. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)