A Snake In The Grass

I spotted this grass snake in our driveway a couple of weeks ago. That's where I see most of the snakes on our property and I've commented before on how I think this is a case of selection bias. I see them on our driveway because that's where they stand out. They like to sun themselves on the warm road, and this was a warm, sunny day. I was driving home and drove right past it, expecting it to move off into the grass. I looked in the rear view mirror and it was still there, so I stopped the car, got out, and walked over to it. I only had my cell phone camera but managed to get a good shot of it.

It's official name is a rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) and it's also known as a green grass snake.

I was able to get quite close and in fact I reached out and grabbed it, right behind the head. I don't recommend you do this, but I was sure I knew this was not a poisonous snake. I wondered if it was sick since I was able to get so close and actually catch it.

I put it in a small animal cage and showed it to Mary. I kept it until the next day and then let it go in our yard. I wanted to take some more photographs of it with my DSLR camera, but decided it would be too difficult to have it look natural.

I managed to get a few shots of it in the grass before I lost sight of it. I don't think it was sick after all. Maybe it had just eaten and was sluggish from digesting its meal. They usually feed on spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, and caterpillars.