Mississippi Green Water Snake
Nerodia cyclopion
La Rue-Pine Hills, Illinois. October 1977.
The top photo at left is an adult; the bottom photo is a juvenile, perhaps a year old and still showing some juvenile markings.
|
Herpetofauna - One Life's List
Mississippi Green Water Snake La Rue-Pine Hills, Illinois. October 1977. |
|
|
|
The swampy lowlands along the Shawnee Escarpment in southern Illinois are the
northernmost toehold for this southern snake. They are protected there and
elsewhere in Illinois, a good thing because they are not found in large numbers
and are restricted to the few remaining low, wet places. They can be very
common in places further south along the Mississippi Delta. I saw a cyclopion
on my first trip to LaRue-Pine Hills, but further sightings have been
sporadic. One fall Steve Coogan and I walked up and down the famous Snake
Road twice (twelve miles) without seeing a blessed thing; arriving at last
back at the truck, we found a Green basking under a front tire! The top photo at left is an adult; the bottom photo is a juvenile, perhaps a year old and still showing some juvenile markings. |
|
Return to Life List
Index
Return to Mike's Page
|
|