We poked around the nature trail near the visitor's center, and I spotted a Dusky Pigmy Rattler on the move, crawling up into a small palm hammock.  This little snake had recently eaten a large meal, a big leopard frog perhaps, and was now dragging along a distended midsection.  I took a few photos, but otherwise did not molest it - no sense in running the risk of the snake regurgitating its meal.  This Pigmy was much prettier than the first one I had seen two days before.

It was leaning towards noon, and Pierson had work to attend to. I thanked him for taking time out to show a Midwesterner around a bit, and for giving me an incredible opportunity to see a cingulatum.  He also took the time to point out a rare plant, Godfrey's Spider Lily, which only occurs within St. Mark's Refuge.  It is a beautiful plant that even a stumbling lover of vertebrates like me could appreciate.

Hymenocallis imperialis

Left to my own devices, I poked around the edges of some of the canals in the refuge, hoping to turn up a Bluestripe Ribbon Snake.  I scared up a couple juvenile alligators and a fat water snake of some kind, along with a couple quick blurs that could have been ribbon snakes.  After a quick snack and a couple swallows of tepid water, I decided to change tactics and work a swampy wooded area dotted with palmettos and cabbage palms.  I didn't have a snake stick with me here on the Refuge, so I used a stout branch to lift fallen palm fronds as I went.  This practice served me well, as I found another Pigmy Rattler, and a very nice looking one at that. This snake did not want to stay in one place and pose for photographs, so I dug out a plastic plant saucer out of my pack and dropped that over it.  The saucers are very handy for calming down herps - they are shallow enough to come in contact with the animal and make it feel safe and secure, along with turning out the lights.  I think they help reduce the stress on the animal, and enable the photographer to work quickly and perhaps get a better shot.

Now I had run out of time to herp, so I was happy to have made a third Pigmy my last discovery.  Soon I would have to get on a plane and head back north, where there was still snow on the ground.  It had been a good week, and I had had a great time with some good results, and learned a few more things along the way.  I'm looking forward to my next visit.