There was a reptile and amphibian walk out at the arboretum last weekend. The weather the previous week leading up to the walk had been warm and sunny. So naturally it seemed a tad disappointing that the day of the walk it was a little cool and a small amount of rain had fallen that morning. As it turns out, that is a pretty good scenario for observing reptiles. The warm weather has got them active, so they are out and about. The cooler morning slows them down a little, so that when you find one under a rock or other debris, it doesn’t go shooting off before you can see it or perhaps catch it.
There were a couple of kids on the walk that were enthusiastic about flipping over rocks and catching snakes. It wasn’t long when one of them caught this beautiful ring-necked snake. They are a small snake, that usually grows to be around 1 - 1.5 feet long. The upper side of its body is a slate to greenish gray in color with a striking orange ring around its neck. The underside is bright orange speckled with black spots. The orange becomes reddish in color under the tail. When it is disturbed or feels threatened, It will expose its bright orange underside and coil its tail.
This is a secretive snake that likes to stay in moist environments under rocks, logs, other debris on the surface of the ground. I have only seen it out in the late evening in the summertime. Its diet consists of earthworms, small salamanders, lizards, frogs, juvenile snakes, and insects.
I love this little snake. Thanks to Tom who led the walk and everyone who came, the ring-necked snake was the highlight for me.
