Would like to eventually find one without almost stepping on it
Apologies for lack of better photo. It buried itself quickly in deep foliage upon being startled, and I wasn’t too keen on digging for it.
Found under a log a few meters away from the edge of the swamp. Small (~30cm), but lacking the caudal lure of a juvenile—instead had a green-gray tail tip not captured in the photograph.
Lifer. I knew abstractly that they’re generally relatively large snakes (this one was ~1m), but wow. Also, the tail-prodding was weird.
AOR lifer Lampropeltis—was beginning to cross the road just as I pulled up. Threw the car into park and began chasing after it just on account of its size (~1m), but only recognized the species when I was just about right on top of it. Figured I might finally see a member of the genus on this trip, but didn’t imagine it would be this one—pleasant surprise!