eastern indigo

My friend Lindsay and I both had the day off and decided to meet up and do some herping. We thought about driving up to the ANF but decided on staying in central FL to herp some sandhill habitat. It was a nice cool morning and I was hoping to finally find my first indigo.
Things started a little slow. We found several tiny eastern spadefoot toads and ground skinks moving through the leaf litter. We also spotted few gopher tortoises and a ringneck snake coiled up under some fallen bark. We were starting to wish that we had headed north to meet up with Sean and check some tin sites in south GA but we soon realized that we had made the right decision to stay closer to home.
A little over an hour into our hike we came across a rocky area where one of Lindsay's friends has seen diamondbacks before. I was walking the edge of the quarry when I noticed a large black snake calmly exploring the area and paying absolutely no attention to me. It took a minute for my brain to register what I was looking at......a f%&^#$&ing indigo!!!

<img src=http://gila.fieldherpers.com/Photos/indigo3.jpg>

I have been herping prime habitat for the last couple years with no success so this was definitely on the top of my wish list. This one was a little shy of five feet long and completely gorgeous. It didn't seem concerned with our presence at all.

<img src=http://gila.fieldherpers.com/Photos/indigo2.jpg>

When I'd come a little too close while taking it's picture it would let me know with a pretty impressive defensive display.

<img src=http://gila.fieldherpers.com/Photos/indigo1.jpg>

Eventually, it disappeared under some of the rocks under the tree in this habitat shot.
<img src=http://gila.fieldherpers.com/Photos/hab1.jpg>

Here's one more habitat shot of the area we were hiking in.

<img src=http://gila.fieldherpers.com/Photos/hab2.jpg>

I'm a major Drymarchon fan so seeing one in the wild was an incredible experience. I feel pretty fortunate to be able to herp in mid November and find anything but this was just plain awesome!
Chris

WOW!!! Wish I was there! You just had a stroke of very good luck! Thank- you so much for shareing it with us! Keep up the good work! I would like to know where exactly that was, if you would care to send me the info., If not, I'll understand. Thanks again,
T.

Thanks Tony.

We found the indigo at a spot that my friend took me to in Central FL. Please don't take this personal but I really don't feel comfortable sharing specifics about a herping spot that was shared with me by a friend in confidence. If I had found it I wouldn't have any problem with it but it's kind of bad field herping etiquette to share other people's spots...hope you understand.

That being said, you have a pretty equal chance of finding an indigo anywhere in FL as long as the habitats right. It's just a matter of being lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time. I think November through January is the best time to see them.

I've spent many, many, many hours herping indigo habitat and this was my first. If you ever make it to FL we could meet up and see if we're lucky enough to see another one.

Thanks again, and no problem. I wouldn't tell anyone either. At least not by broadcasting it over the net. And the next time we come to Fl., I will let you know. I lived there for a couple years myself, and was not lucky enough to see any indigos. Most of the snakes I saw were escaped burmese pythons, and a red rat that had eaten someones canary, and could not get back out of the cage. I was an animal control officer in Lee Co..It would be nice to have a field guide with some experience!

Those are some very good pics. What type of equipment did you use? Feel free to contact me direct by e-mail. Your handle looks familiar.
T.

Chris,

Great find! It's a great feeling when you find an indigo in the wild. Glad you got to experience it first hand!
If you would like, shoot me an e-mail, and I'll tell you where to find them, in Florida, on a very regular basis.

Jeff Snodgres

There is a game reserve called Big Pine in Brooksville, Florida, which is where I grew up. It is at the base of Chinsegut hill, which is one of the tallest hills in Florida, and a USDA farm as well. There is a sink hole behind my parents 5-acre lot at the northern end of Timberlane, which is at the end of Our road (that is the name of the road), which is off Old Crystal River Road. You can find this on Google earth. I used to roam every square inch of the game reserve when I was a kid. Now this was some 40 years ago mind you, but that sink hole was home to a very large indigo that I would see almost everytime I walked down there. I believe it was a female, but never handled it, because that would be "wrong". Anyway, over the years I have seen many of her offsrping in various places. We have seen probably not less than 10 in and around our yard over the years. If you are looking to see one in the wild, that would be the best place of which I know to find one. I also have a home in High Springs, FL, and we have probably 20 large gopher tortoise holes spread out on our property. I have one I can call by name and she will come up and eat romaine lettuce out of my hand. Anyway, where there are gophers, there are usually "blue gophers" as the ol' timers call indigos. If I see one, I will try and film it, or maybe we can all get together for some field herping one day. I think every admirerer of this species should have a chance to see one of these guys in their natural habitat at least once in their lifetime. They are the coolest thing to watch as they are truly kings of their domain. They will hunt right up to and past you if you stand still. My avatar is of a EDB I found in our front yard many moons ago. My cat was getting ready to take a swing at it while it was coiled and ready to strike. I guess she used at least one of her 9 lives there, but had 8 more to go. I caught this one and had my dad take a pic before we turned it loose down at the sinkhole. Anyway, where there are large EDBs you will also find D. corais couperi.