All Creatures Green and Small
A year ago this week, raking leaves beside the shed, I lifted a flat rock to move it out of the way. This is what I found under it--so disarmingly green that at first I thought I must be seeing things. It turned out to be a rare sight, indeed, and a new record for our county. Below, the entry that will go in the upcoming issue of Virginia's Herpetological Society publication, Catesbeiana.
Opheodrys vernalis (Smooth Greensnake). VA: Floyd Co., Co. Rt. 111, 3.2 km (2 mi) west of junction with Co. Rt. 222. 24 October 2004. Fred B. First, Jr.
On 24 October 2004, I found an immature smooth greensnake (17 cm total length) under a flat rock near an outbuilding at my residence in remote northeastern Floyd County. The location is a south-facing slope at approximately 640 meters (2100 feet) adjacent to regenerating mixed-growth forest. The site is some 100 meters north of Goose Creek, a tributary at the headwaters of the South Fork of the Roanoke River. The snake was photographed and released. An adult smooth greensnake was found crossing a gravel drive less than 30 meters from the above location in late summer 2003. The mature snake (approximately 37 cm total length) was examined and released.
This is the first report of smooth greensnakes from Floyd County (Mitchell, J. C. 1994. The Reptiles of Virginia. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 352 pp.; Mitchell, J. C. and K. K. Reay. 1999. Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Virginia. Special Publication Number 1, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Richmond, VA. 122 pp.).
A digital photograph of the immature snake has been submitted to the VHS archives (digital archive #70).
Comments
Yikes, so they are rare? Well, damnit. We had one sunning himself on our front patio this summer. He was identical to your photograph. Then, the following week, I opened one of our entry doors to head outside and the same green snake dropped to the ground, torn in half. Apparently he was climbing up the doorjamb. I was really shook up, I really hate harming wildlife. Especially snakes, since they help keep the pest population down. I hate to mention it, but it seemed relevant.
When we first moved to Boones Mill, while cleaning the basement I found no less than sixteen molted snakeskins dangling from the rafters alongside the walls. Then, during the summer, while I was drilling holes through rafters for a run of network cable, I saw something moving about a foot to my right, just on top of the wall. It was an enormous adult black rat snake. E-normous! He was amazing. It was still Spring, a bit cool outside, and this snake had made a home inside the insulation wrap around a heating duct for my office. Once it warmed up out of doors, he left the basement and I often saw him sunning himself in our driveway. I'm hoping he returns to our basement for the winter - we have zero evidence of mice in the house and now I know why!
Sean
Posted by: Sean Pecor | October 21, 2005 6:31 AM
cute snake Fred! that is a great picture
Posted by: suzy | October 21, 2005 7:13 AM
What a great photo! The color of the snake against the leaf is so striking. You have the soul of an artist, Fred.
Posted by: kenju | October 21, 2005 7:44 AM
What did you whisper in that snake's ear to get him/her to pose so charmingly, just curled so perfectly for a nice shot? Amazing.
Posted by: Deb | October 21, 2005 7:59 AM
One of my favorite snakes! And I just love that contribution to the state Atlas. Bird and herp Atlas projects are great ways for people to contribute important data to science (I feel a blog post coming on...)
Posted by: Nuthatch | October 21, 2005 11:06 AM
What a beautiful, colorful photograph!
Posted by: Beth | October 21, 2005 7:26 PM