What is it Wednesday: March 11,2020

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

March 11, 2020. 

And the answer is....

This tiny snakeskin is from a black rat snake – clearly a baby, because this is about as small as black rat snake can be. We had a picture of one as a What is it Wednesday post back in the fall, which is when baby black rat snakes hatch from eggs.

That is not a massive leaf or rock, that is a tiny snake.

When we first spotted this skin in the woodpile at Terra Dei, we wondered if it was from a smaller type of snake, like a garter snake or even a ringneck. But while large snakeskins cannot be made by a smaller species of snake, a small snakeskin can be made a large species of snake while it is young. That is the case here.

We sent a picture of this skin to a wildlife pest management company who promises to ID your snakeskin pictures for you if you send them in. (Apparently many people who find snakeskins near their home worry that they came from a dangerous snake that they need to get rid of.) The identity of a snake can be determined from its skin based on the shape, position, and number of rows of the imprint left behind by the scales – but these details can be difficult to pick out if you aren’t used to doing it. It was nice to have expert help!

We don’t see snakes during early March, when this What is it Wednesday was posted – it is too cold for them and they are still hibernating. (We are just starting to see a few now in late March and early April.) But it is nice to see reminders of our scaly friends all year round. We find skins like this often in the woodpile at Terra Dei – the snakes seem to really love the rough texture and snaggy ends of the wood to help them shed their skins.

(By the way, my favorite "guesses" on our What is it Wednesday post that week were "nope rope wrapper" and "danger noodle ghost"!) 

For more on how LEEP can help you find out who has been in your area based on what they leave behind, with field trips, summer camp, Saturday Safaris, and more, check out www.Lutherlyn.com/ee. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!