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A couple weeks ago when timber rattlesnake researcher Chris Hamilton found some of his subjects still hibernating in their dens, he did find one snake sunning on the rocky hillside. An adult female yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor), another of Wisconsin’s protected species of reptiles, was warming up in the sun.

Racers are sleek, slender, swift snakes that inhabit the sandy terrain of our bluffs, prairies, savannas and grasslands. They have smooth scales giving them a satiny sheen after they shed their skin. The adults are a plain steely grayish blue to olive green with a lighter plain whitish, cream or yellowish belly. The young look like a different species with a distinct pattern of blotches all over.

Adult racers range from three to six feet long and they feed on frogs, rodents, small birds and other reptiles. I once found one swallowing a young bullsnake on Granddad Bluff in La Crosse. In fact, when I was young, I found them fairly often on most of the bluffs around La Crosse, but today they are much less common. I hadn’t seen one in many years.

Part of the reason is obvious. Where kids and critters once roamed freely, there are now housing developments at the bottom and at the tops of our bluffs. Every year I see more and more homes and manicured lawns where there were once grassy meadows, wooded hillsides, contoured agricultural fields and once-scenic bluff tops. Weren’t those supposed to be some of the most alluring features of the Coulee Region?

One Minnesota wildlife expert lamented to me recently that it seems like some people are “loving nature to death” by moving right on top of it. One new home might not seem like much, but when lots of people are building in the country, we are inevitably pushing out more and more of the wild country that we seek.

Fortunately, I have met many long-time country dwellers who have learned to leave room for wild habitat and encourage wildlife to share their space. If we don’t do more planning to preserve some of the wild space we have left, the Coulee Region could eventually resemble one large suburb.

I treasured the opportunity to see and hold a yellow-bellied racer once again. She reminded me of a time when I didn’t have to go far from my home in La Crosse to see some very interesting creatures, including timber rattlesnakes. It’s not too late to reasonably make room for wildlife as we continue to grow outward from our communities in an unplanned fashion.

Many people and groups already are working to help improve what habitat is left, and I hope to continue introducing you to some of them in this column. Their efforts offer a more enriching future for all of us, the wildlife, and to the tourists who visit our area to see what we still have left to offer.

Rosy vision

One simple way to encourage wildlife is to provide food, shelter and water for birds, especially in the winter. A friend started a bird feeding station in his yard only a couple years ago, and he now has many interesting species of birds showing up.

A couple weeks ago I went over to his yard to photograph one of my favorite birds, the rose-breasted grosbeak. This was probably the first real wild bird I got to know as a young kid. When I was in first grade, our teacher handed out cards with paintings of birds on them for us to draw and my card showed the rose-breasted grosbeak.

The females look more or less like large sparrows, but the males are very spectacular birds. They have a black head and back with a white belly. What really makes them impressive though is the bright red triangle on the chest below the neck.

Their preferred habitat is mixed deciduous woods and they are found rather commonly throughout the state. RBGs are one bird that will come around suburban yards near woods and can be attracted to feeders.

Jaws of death

A sure sign of spring for me is the appearance of the tiger beetles. Several of the species like warm, open sandy places, so they are found on our bluffs and beaches. You may have seen them and thought they were some kind of fly, because the take off from the ground as you approach and fly off for a few yards before landing again.

Once they land, they seem to do a disappearing act, since most have rather good camouflage. One species is a bright metallic green, though, and it stands out if it doesn’t land near vegetation. Once on the ground, they move in quick bursts of speed, darting about looking for mates or for something to eat. The name “tiger beetle” is well chosen, for they are vicious hunters.

If you watch long enough, you may see one snatch an ant or other unfortunate victim and then crush it in its awesome looking “jaws.”

Houston frog walk

A while ago, I mentioned the free public program about the dance of the timberdoodle at the Houston Nature Center in Houston, Minnesota. At the time, I mentioned hearing frogs as a bonus during that trip, but on May 24, frogs will be the stars of another free program at the center.

If you would like to participate, show up at the Nature Center in Trailhead Park on West Plum Street, a block north of the intersection of Highways 76 and 16. The frog walk begins at 7 p.m., and you can call (507) 896-HOOT for more information.

Whaditiz

D. They are the open grassy areas on many of our bluffsides.

Contact Jim Solberg at (608) 782-2560 or nitefrogger@charter.net.