HEROD, Ill. — The bi-annual snake migration in Southern Illinois' Shawnee National Forest is about to wrap up, but there's still time for reptile-lovers to try and catch a glimpse of snakes on the move.
Twice a year, from March 15 to May 15 and then again from Sept. 1 to Oct. 30, LaRue Road in the forest is closed to cars. Visitors may still travel it on foot.
The road is closed to protect the forest's snakes, which make the journey from the LaRue-Pine Hills - with their towering limestone bluffs, filled with grooves and caves for snakes to wait out the winter in - to their summer home in LaRue Swamp every year.
Navigating between these two ecosystems requires the snakes and other reptiles to cross the LaRue Road. In the early morning and evening, when the road's asphalt is nice and warm, the snakes like to hang out and warm up their cold-blooded bodies. Consequently, it makes them easy targets for any passing cars.
That's why, since 1972, the Forest Service has closed the 2.5-mile road to vehicles twice a year.
While visitors shouldn't expect to see rivers of snakes crossing the road, it's not uncommon to spot some slithering across the path during peak migration time. You can spot cottonmouth snakes, leopard frogs and bird-voiced tree frogs, to name a few, as well as migrating waterfowl.
Snakes play a critical role in their ecosystems. According to National Geographic, one snake can eat nine pounds of mice in one year. They're also important food sources themselves for other species, such as herons and egrets.
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