Part I, Day 5: 080613

We stayed last night at the Quality Inn in Savannah, Georgia. This was closer to the coast (and the marine environment) than we had intended. Also, the motel was a bit harder to find and a bit more expensive than it might have otherwise been somewhere less touristy. The towns along Interstate-16 within about 50 miles of Savannah are remarkably devoid of motels, though.

An early start, then south and west on the broad coastal plain of southern Georgia. Collecting was a little less productive than yesterday, but a good (and very long) day nonetheless. At one very swampy little site, a backwater currently isolated from its creek in a region full of pine plantations, we found nothing to collect, and I almost stepped on a large snake. I think my words at the time were “Woa! Snake! That’s a BIG snake!”. Again, I’m apparently not one for momentous statements.

Snakey! No scale bar here, sorry, but this individual was about 5 cm in diameter at body midpoint, and the head was probably about 7 cm long. Does anybody know the species? Is this venomous?

One of our collecting sites was our first forray onto possibly-private property. A pond at a road corner yeilded a few beetles, but no amphipods.

The pond at the corner of Walkerville Road and Highway 15 / 121, Georgia. Property owner: please forgive our little intrusion.

We finished the day in Valdota, only about 18 miles north of Florida, with an excellent steak dinner at Outback. Advisors take note: we’re paying for that meal out of pocket, don’t worry.

Tomorrow we’ll visit one or two last sites in Georgia, then into Florida.