Encourage reptiles and amphibians to take up residence, Berks environmental consultants urge

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Quillyn Buckley and Mike Torocco work for Herpetological Consultants Inc.

Written by Susan Shelly - Reading Eagle correspondent

The message from Quillyn Bickley and Mike Torocco is clear: amphibians and reptiles should not be discouraged from taking up residence in our yards and gardens.

In fact, the environmental consultants urged, Pennsylvanians should do more to encourage snakes, toads, frogs, salamanders, turtles and other reptiles and amphibians onto their properties.

Bickley and Torocco of Spring Township are herpetologists, zoologists who study reptiles and amphibians. They are employed by Herpetological Consultants Inc., an environmental consulting firm that serves clients throughout the United States and abroad.

The New Jersey-based firm specializes in planning for wildlife conservation and protecting the environments of endangered and threatened plants and animals.

Bickley and Torocco recently presented a program on “Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania” during a gathering at the Reading Public Museum.

Pennsylvania is home to a great variety of common and rare amphibians and reptiles, collectively known as herps.

A number of them, including the bog turtle, redbelly turtle, southern leopard frog, New Jersey chorus frog and rough green snake, are endangered or threatened.

Considering the population, industry and environmental factors present in the state, the number and variety of herps here is surprising, Torocco said.

“This area has been settled and his habitat beat up for a long time,” he said. “It's amazing that we have the diversity that we do.”

Manmade factors such as gas and oil exploration, pipeline construction and automobile traffic are disruptive to amphibians and reptiles, as are natural predators such as raccoons, which dig up nests in order to get the eggs they contain.

“Raccoons are very good at finding nests,” Torocco said.

Eastern Pennsylvania is home to 22 varieties of salamanders, 16 kinds of turtles, 4 varieties of lizards and 21 types of snakes. Of the snakes, three types are poisonous.

“We have both rare species and then a great variety of common species,” Torocco said.

While many people are afraid of snakes, lizards and other amphibians and reptiles, they play an important role in the environmental landscape, Bickley explained.

Lizards, snakes, frogs and toads eat a variety of pests, including slugs, snails, roaches and rodents. Having herps on your property increases the diversity of animal life, which is an indicator of a healthy environment.

To that end, Bickley advised, try to be intentional when thinking about your yard and garden, and work to provide food, water, breeding habitat and places for reptiles and amphibians to survive over the winter.

Brush piles, wood piles, logs, rocks and ponds will all encourage herps to take up residence.

“Consider your surroundings, and then consider what you're willing to take on,” Bickley said. “Something as simple as a toad house can encourage herps on your property.”

Layered, flat rocks will encourage snakes, who love to bask in sunlight. Fallen logs in a moist, shady are will attract salamanders, and ponds are home to different varieties of turtles and frogs.

“If you build it, they will come,” Bickley said.

A variety of plants, shrubs and flowers also is important.

Learning to live with and appreciate reptiles and amphibians may require a change in mindset, Bickley said, but all living things are important in maintaining a healthy environment.

She warned that herps should not be relocated, but allowed to move from place to place on their own. Never release non-native species of amphibians or reptiles, and watch for hitchhikers when purchasing plants or other items.

“It's really important, ecologically, to leave what's wild in the wild, and where it belongs,” Bickley said.

Contact Susan Shelly: life@readingeagle.com.

About Quillyn Bickley and Mike Torocco

 Quillyn Bickley and Mike Torocco are herpetologists, or zoologists who specialize in the study of amphibians and reptiles.

 They are employed as regional managers of the Pennsylvania Field Office by Herpetological Consultants Inc., a New Jersey-based consulting firm with offices in New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania.

 Bickley and Torocco conduct environmental surveys for clients to determine the presence or absence of amphibians and reptiles on a property and other factors that may affect housing, utility or other construction projects.

 Torocco can be contacted at mtorocco@herpetologicalassociates.com and Bickley at qbickley@herpetologicalassociates.com.



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