Mt. Tom (4/9/06)

On Sunday I explored the Bray Lake area near Mt Tom with the Massachusetts Butterfly Club. Early spring in New England is difficult for butterflies. So, the main targets for this trip were Mourning Cloaks and the anglewings (Eastern Comma and Question Mark).

The day started out sunny but cold and the butterflies were difficult to find. So the group did a little birding instead. There were Mallards and Canada Geese on the water and a Kingfisher perched in a nearby bush. We even found some Pine Warblers in the evergreens that ringed the lake.

After the air warmed up a bit, we started up the mountain. More and more Mourning Cloaks came out towards the middle of the day. Several were "hilltopping"... staking out their territory. In total we found 18 Mourning Cloaks and 3 Commas. A nice start to the season.

Finally, on the trip we did find one Eastern Garter Snake sunning itself. And, much to my surprise, the trip leader said that there were Timber Rattlesnakes on the mountain. From that point on I was looking at every rock outcropping hoping to see one.

The news of rattlesnakes in the area didn't go over well with everyone on the trip. This always amazes me. I've only seen on rattlesnake in the wild and it was fantastic. It was Leguna Atascosa in Texas. We came across a Western Diamondback in the road. We all rushed out of the car and stood with several other visitors and enjoying the moment. The snake was never aggressive or even defensive (it didn't even rattle at us). After a few minutes it slithered back into the grass and it was gone. I can honestly say that I was never scared during the whole experience.

Plus, the last fatality in Massachusetts due to the bite of a Timber Rattler was in 1791. So its pretty safe.