Surprise, Surprise!

During my senior year at college, I undertook my first expedition to LaRue-Pine Hills Research Natural Area, part of Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois, also known as “Snake Road.” As one may expect from such a name, there were indeed snakes on the road at Snake Road! The quantity and range of different snakes there though was completely unexpected; over the two-day period my herpetology class visited the area, we saw fifty snakes and almost a dozen different species. To say I was blown away would be a tremendous understatement… I was over the moon with joy! 

I’ve gone back to Snake Road half a dozen times in the years since I first visited, in an effort to top my all-time record for sightings. I just went again this year, on the 15th and 29th of April, in fact. Even though I’ve yet to beat my first trip’s numbers, I still find myself pleasantly surprised by something every time I journey there. For instance, in all my time visiting Snake Road, I had never seen a Timber Rattlesnake until one of my trips this year! I went out there with limited expectations, hoping to see something but not sure what it would be, and the universe rewarded me with my first ever sighting of a wild rattlesnake. 

I’ve found that life has a funny way of surprising us like that. Sometimes you’re out looking for lemons and instead you find lemon sharks! Or maybe you go panning for gold but keep coming up with goldfish! One can never be 100% sure what to expect whenever they step outside. You can look in all the right habitats, at the exact right time of day, at the exact right time of year, under all the right weather conditions and still not find any of the right wildlife if they’re just not cooperative. Likewise, you may find yourself stumbling upon critters in the most unexpected of times and places. One time, while taking out the garbage, I almost stepped on a hognose snake that was right outside my front door! Other days, I’ve spent hours searching high and low for morel mushrooms, only to find sycamore balls, half-eaten walnuts, and other look-alikes.

I find that the more expectations and anticipation I have on the days I go out in nature, the less enjoyable my time feels when I come up short of them. While there are definitely some days that feel more frustrating than others though, there is always opportunity for joy in the form of the unexpected. You just have to be able to see it; you could find happiness in the form of a beautiful cloud formation, or maybe as a hidden grove of wildflowers. Sometimes it even comes in the form of finding a cool snake (though probably not for everyone)! Somehow, I always find something new and beautiful every time I explore, and it always seems to be when I don’t expect it. I guess you could say that nature is just full of surprises!

Alex Burdsall

Environmental Education Fellow