JS●Jeroen SpeybroeckAMPHIBIANS · REPTILES · JOURNEYS
A NATURALIST’S NOTEBOOK
Out there,
looking closer.

Amphibians, reptiles and the places they lead us.
Field notes and photographs from Europe and beyond.

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OBSERVED & PHOTOGRAPHED BY JEROEN SPEYBROECK
Amphibian photographed during Jeroen’s travels
From the fieldRead the report ↗
HERPETOFAUNA OF EUROPE
& THE WORLD

A personal record of finding, observing and photographing amphibians and reptiles. From familiar European landscapes to journeys further afield.

About Jeroen ↗
THE TRAVEL ARCHIVE

Notes from the field

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

Europe’s amphibians
and reptiles.

Explore the European species overview, or discover the field guide.

01 European species overview ↗02 The field guide ↗03 ManderMatcher ↗
← Back to the field notesEurope

Herpetological trip to Lorraine (France) and Taunus (Germany)
May 21th – May 24th 2021

Unless specified otherwise, all pictures (c) of Jeroen Speybroeck.

After a cold and dry local spring, a short three-person getaway offered the perfect antidote. Weather was still not what any regular tourist would long for, but we are not regular tourists. The number of snakes we found was high for this part of Europe. We had an absolute blast.

search sites
search sites

Friday May 21th

Driving from northern Belgium, we arrived at a well-known first French viper site at 15h30. The outskirts of this quarry have some artificial cover. We found 11 Asp Vipers Vipera aspis (5 of which under cover), a Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica, a juvenile Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca and plenty of Slow Worm Anguis fragilis.

habitat - © Loïc van Doorn
habitat - © Loïc van Doorn

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis

male Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn
male Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn

juvenile Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn
juvenile Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis

male Asp Viper Vipera aspis
male Asp Viper Vipera aspis

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis

Image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)


After setting up camp at our favourite Lorraine camping spot, we checked two quarries after dark in the rain. Despite the cold wind, there was enough amphibian activity going on. First site had Yellow-bellied Toad Bombina variegata, Parsley Frog Pelodytes punctatus, Natterjack Toad Epidalea calamita, Marsh Frog Pelophylax ridibundus and Palmate Newt Lissotriton helveticus. The second held Parsley Frog, Common Midwife Toad Alytes obstetricans, Common Toad Bufo bufo, Palmate Newt and Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus.

setting up camp at dusk - © Loïc van Doorn
setting up camp at dusk - © Loïc van Doorn

Marsh Frog Pelophylax ridibundus
Marsh Frog Pelophylax ridibundus

Parsley Frog Pelodytes punctatus
Parsley Frog Pelodytes punctatus

Natterjack Toad Epidalea calamita
Natterjack Toad Epidalea calamita

Common Toad Bufo bufo
Common Toad Bufo bufo

Saturday May 22th

Day 2 we started off with a former railway embankment. Checking a longer stretch than I had done back in 2017 and 2019, we came across numerous snakes again, with 10 Asp Vipers, a Barred Grass Snake, a Smooth Snake and four Western Whip Snakes Hierophis viridiflavus.

Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus - © Loïc van Doorn
Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus - © Loïc van Doorn

Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus
Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus

Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus
Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn

male Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn
male Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn

male Asp Viper Vipera aspis
male Asp Viper Vipera aspis

juvenile Asp Viper Vipera aspis
juvenile Asp Viper Vipera aspis

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis

male Asp Viper Vipera aspis
male Asp Viper Vipera aspis

At the end of the day, a dumpsite with Parsley Frog and Yellow-bellied Toad. After dark, a forest brook with Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra larvae and a single flipped adult male.

Image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)


egg mass of Parsley Frog Pelodytes punctatus
egg mass of Parsley Frog Pelodytes punctatus

Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra
Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra

Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra - © Kim Roelants
Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra - © Kim Roelants

Image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)


Sunday May 23th

Two sections of the same active railroad and their surroundings were on the menu today. While the second produced only a single female Asp Viper, the first one delivered eight, as well as another Barred Grass Snake and a Smooth Snake. As always, plenty of Slow Worms. Surprisingly, Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis) was seen in only very few individual animals, for which the wind and some showers might be to blame.

Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca
Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca

male Asp Viper Vipera aspis
male Asp Viper Vipera aspis

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis

same
same

same
same

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis

same
same

same
same

Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica - © Loïc van Doorn
Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica - © Loïc van Doorn

female Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn
female Asp Viper Vipera aspis - © Loïc van Doorn

After some delicious pizza, we revisited our favourite French Green Toad Bufotes viridis site. Also non-native Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombina, Marsh Frog, Common Frog Rana temporaria, Great Crested Newt, Palmate Newt, Alpine Newt Ichthyosaura alpestris, Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris, Slow Worm, and three Barred Grass Snakes. Together with earlier visits, that brings our species count for this site up to twelve.

Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica - © Kim Roelants
Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica - © Kim Roelants

Green Toad Bufotes viridis
Green Toad Bufotes viridis

Green Toad Bufotes viridis
Green Toad Bufotes viridis

Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombina
Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombina

Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombina
Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombina

Next, a nearby French site for Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus. Plenty of calling animals in the water and two beautiful chubbies on land.

young female Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus
young female Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus

female Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus
female Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus

same
same

Monday May 24th

Early start. First, some quick pics of the spadefoot habitat.

habitat of Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus
habitat of Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus

habitat of Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus
habitat of Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus

habitat of Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus
habitat of Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus

Then a 2h drive into Germany. The northern bank of the Rhine river near Wiesbaden is home to an ancient introduced population of Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus. First site had us finding already three, plus Slow Worm and a young Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis.

German vineyard - © Loïc van Doorn
German vineyard - © Loïc van Doorn

promising... - © Loïc van Doorn
promising... - © Loïc van Doorn

Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn
Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn

Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn
Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn

Image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)


Image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)


Image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)


Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn
Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn

young Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis
young Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis

A second small stone quarry delivered water frogs Pelophylax sp., Slow Worm and a big Grass Snake Natrix natrix. Next, lush green meadows with some artificial cover. Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara, Slow Worm, a juvenile grass snake and another five Aesculapian Snakes were found.

Image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)


Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara - © Kim Roelants
Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara - © Kim Roelants

Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn
Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn

Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn
Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus - © Loïc van Doorn

Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus
Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus

Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus
Aesculapian Snake Zamenis longissimus

A traditional stop for Dice Snake Natrix tessellata along the Lahn river was up next. Searching in the rain, not too productive, but managed to find a juvenile in the end, plus an adult female Sand Lizard.

herping in the rain
herping in the rain

female Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis
female Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis

juvenile Dice Snake Natrix tessellata
juvenile Dice Snake Natrix tessellata

Continuing westward towards our home country, a short stop in the Netherlands for fries and a quarry with Yellow-bellied Toad, Common Midwife Toad, Smooth Newt and Slow Worm.

Dutch amphibian habitat – © Loïc van Doorn
Dutch amphibian habitat – © Loïc van Doorn

We ended our adventures after dark with one of the finer Belgian amphibian habitats, finding Common Spadefoot Toad, Common Tree Frog Hyla arborea, Common Toad, Pool Frog Pelophylax lessonae, Edible Frog, Common Frog and Moor Frog Rana arvalis.

Species list

Document image accompanying Lorraine & Taunus etc. - France & Germany etc. (May 2021)