Pleasant Surprise

Retrieving a trash can lid tossed in the woods during the recent blow; I came across this little guy quite comfortable underneath. A first wild find for me, this is a pine woods snake Rhadinaea flavilata. Found in moist pinelands and hardwood wetlands (this one was in the wet Flatwoods near the sinkhole), they are common in central Florida. Smaller more isolated populations of this reptile, impacted by habitat destruction, are in imperiled status in other states. Although listed as non venomous, they are actually rear fanged and have what one site termed “slightly venomous saliva”. They are egg layers and the adults reach about 10-13 inches in length like the one pictured here. One more “made my day” moment courtesy the Back Woods.