The Big 14 Quest 2021 - Complete!

2021 Snaking Totals

• Eastern Garter Snake: 75 Thamnophis sirtalis
• Northern Black Racer: 48 Coluber constrictor
• Eastern Copperhead: 31 Agkistrodon contortrix
• Northern Ringneck Snake: 22 Diadophis punctatus
• Northern Water Snake: 19 Nerodia sipedon
• Northern Brown Snake: 11 Storeria dekayi
• Timber Rattlesnake: 11 Crotalus horridus
• Eastern Rat Snake: 8 Pantherophis alleghaniensis
• Northern Redbelly Snake: 7 Storeria occipitomaculata
• Northern Ribbon Snake: 6 Thamnophis sauritus
• Eastern Hognose Snake: 5 Heterodon platirhinos
• Eastern Milk Snake: 3 Lampropeltis triangulum
• Smooth Green Snake: 3 Opheodrys vernalis
• Eastern Worm Snake: 3 Carphophis amoenus

Total: 252 snakes!

December 31st, 2021

My dad and I saw a December 31st garter snake! For the last few weeks, I've been planning to visit the snake den lobby rock today, hoping I'd see the garter snake that's been hanging around here lately and set a new personal record for latest snake seen in the season. I'd previosly seen a snake here on Nov 21st, Nov 27th, Dec 11, and Dec 18th. However, the last two times I came here it was a no-show: Christmas, which is understandable because the temperature was below freezing, and the day after, which was in the low 40s. It was 49 degrees today, but given its recent absence, I was only cautiously optimistic.!

When I got to the spot and peered into the crevice formed by a horizontal split in the rock using the light of my phone, I was once again disappointed to see that it wasn't in there. I double checked using a much brighter flashlight. As I stood up to put the flashlight away, something off to the side caught my eye. About ten feet to the right of the snake den lobby rock this nice-looking garter snake was sitting perfectly still on top of the leaves! Other than to flick its tongue, it barely moved an inch the entire time I photographed it.

This is not the same individual I've been seeing inside the crevice, which has a scar about two inches behind its head on the right side. The fact that there is more than one snake hanging out in this area so late in the year confirms my hunch about the lobby rock being the entrance to a den.

The only way I can beat this record for latest snake in the season is to find one after 1pm on Dec 31st next time. I'm planning to go back to this spot tomorrow and hopefully set another record for earliest snake of the year, as well as get my first snake of 2022!

November 27th, 2021

Today I revisted 3 very reliable spots but once again, couldn't find any snakes. The weather barely broke 40 degrees all week and nights have been well below freezing. In a desperate move, I went back to the last place I'd seen a snake, the snake den lobby crevice, hoping I'd see something. Sure enough, what appears to be the same garter snake I saw last Saturday was there again, though it was facing away from me this time. It seems the CT snaking season has just about come to an end. It's going to be a long winter. I'm already feeling the effects of snake withdrawal. Shockingly, I even miss the smell of snake musk on my hands, proving true the old adage that you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone!

November 21st, 2021

I went to a few of my most reliable spots today but couldn't find anything. I made one last stop at a spot close to home and managed to find a single garter snake deep within a rock crevice. This is the same crevice where I previously saw a copperhead on October 16th and May 7th. I've seen black racers in there as well closer to the beginning of the season. Inside the crevice there is a passageway that I saw the copperhead disappear down into last time. You can see it to the right of the garter snake in the first picture. I suspect that this is the entrance to a den, which would make the crevice a snake den lobby of sorts.

November 20th, 2021

Even though the weather was pretty cold this week, with overnight temperatures in the 20s, I thought there was still a chance of seeing something today, since it was going up into the mid-40s. My dad and I got skunked last Sunday, but I've decided the season isn't over until I've gotten skunked twice in a row. I decided to look for redbelly snakes at the same spot I found one last weekend. When I arrived I saw ice in the stream that runs along the search area, so I knew it was going to take a lot of luck to find anything. While I didn't find any redbelly snakes, I did manage to find two garter snakes, as well as two blue spotted salamanders, so it was still a pretty successful day, and I wasn't skunked!

November 13th, 2021

I spent the morning looking for smooth green snakes but wasn't able to find one. I didn't think I had a very good chance considering the date and how cold and rainy it's been recently. On the way back home, I was debating about whether or not to stop to look for redbelly snakes, but since it was supposed to start raining within 30 minutes, I drove past where I would have turned and was just planning to go home. About a minute down the road I decided I didn't want my season to end on such a low note, so I did a U-turn, and I'm glad I did! I found this redbelly snake within 3 minutes of arriving at the area. I pressed on for about another hour and found a garter snake just as it started to rain. I'm going back out again tomorrow, but if I don't find anything, at least I ended the season on a high note with a redbelly snake!

October 31st, 2021

Despite being at the end of the season, today turned out to be a pretty good day. My dad and I went to two of our usual spots. At the first, we found a pretty nice looking ringneck snake. Later, at the second, we saw the 2nd biggest garter snake I've seen all year, as well as two northern brown snakes. Ironically, just before finding the garter and the first northern brown, we were discussing the fact that we had never seen either of those species at that location, as well as a few others. Later on we explored an area of the same site which we've only walked through once before and saw a northern black racer that just managed to slip through my fingertips. I was dissappointed, but I felt a little bit better after finding the second northern brown less than a minute later.

October 30th, 2021

It was cold and rainy this past week and this could be the last weekend of snaking this year. The weather forecast predicted a 90% chance of rain again today but I didn't let that deter me. I decided to go look for redbelly snakes since during the day they'd be hiding under cover anyway, regardless of the rain, and my bet paid off. The only snake I found all day was this cold, wet, and dirty redbelly snake that looks like it's been around for a few years and has seen better days. In the last photo, you can see what appears to be a gash in its pale red venter. Redbelly snakes have become one of my favorites to find so it was very cool to see another one today!

October 24th, 2021

Today was another incredible day! I found the smooth green snake and the northern redbelly snake on the same day, as well as 2 garter snakes, including one young-of-year. After finding a 3rd worm snake last weekend, the pressure was on to find another smooth green snake since it was the only CT snake I'd seen less than 3 times. I've been looking for it anyway over the last few weeks because they're so cool and I wanted to see another. I went to a new spot early this morning, but it was cold, and nighttime temperatures fell to the mid-30s last night so I wasn't too optimistic about finding any snakes at all. After several hours of flipping rocks, I finally found one! That makes 3 for the year and now I've found all fourteen of the CT snakes 3 or more times this year. I spent about 2 hours looking for a second one to no avail. On the way home, I decided to press my luck and stop to look for redbelly snakes. I found the small garter snake first, then after another hour or so of looking, I found the redbelly snake! It's a gray morph, which I wanted to find becauseh in my opinion they're better looking than the brown morph (see October 9th for comparison). Later on I found the second garter snake. What an awesome day!

October 23th, 2021

Pretty tough day. I'm trying to find one more smooth green snake since it's the only snake I haven't seen at least 3 times this year (I've seen two). I was out early looking for them and didn't find anything for a few hours when I saw a garter snake. As I maneuvered around some brush to get closer to it, it took off, but a smaller one appeared in its place. I was able to grab the smaller one and take a few pictures. Later on in the day, I saw a racer, but it took off through some thick brush before I could get close enough for a picture.

October 17th, 2021

Today was a much better day than yesterday. At the first spot I went to, I found a northern brown, ringneck, and garter snake all within about 15 minutes of each other. Later on, I met up with my dad and I found a small worm snake. It was the smallest of the three I've found this year and it might have been a baby from this year. Later on, we saw another ringneck snake. We were hoping to find another hognose snake but I definitely can't complain about finding four species in one day!

October 16th, 2021

Today was a long day but I didn't see a lot of snakes. I went to a few spots to look for smooth green, hognose, and worm snakes, but I can usually find something else at these spots as well. I was out from 8am to 6pm and only saw 2 snake total. I started the day off strong with a garter snake at around 8:15am. After that, I didn't find anything else until around 5:45pm, when I went looking for copperheads again and saw the same one from yesterday. Next week the weather is going to cool down so I'm not sure how much more snaking I'll be able to do this year, which is why I was out for so long today.

October 15th, 2021

I did another quick copperhead run tonight after work and found a pretty small one. Based on the size I believe it was probably born last year. It was hidden in a small crack in a rock so didn't get a chance to see the tail which would have indicated if it was a neonate or not, but it looked a little too big to have been born this year. I'm still waiting to find a copperhead out in the open so I can get some good pics, but I feel grateful to see one at all. I also saw a well-hidden northern black racer.

October 11th, 2021

My dad and I went looking for smooth green and hognose snakes today. The day started out slow with just a ringneck snake after a couple of hours. At a different spot a little while later we saw a northern black racer. Finally, we ended up finding a pretty good sized hognose snake. This one was a lot more yellow in color than the 4 hognose snakes I've seen previously, which were all drab gray. Hognose snakes are my favorite snake to see because they're so cute and have so much personality. Although we didn't see any smooth green snakes, the hognose snake made our day!

October 10th, 2021

I went to a new spot with my dad today to look for milk snakes, though the weather wasn't very good for snaking. It was a bit cool, windy, and it started to drizzle around 11. However, we found a neat looking garter snake under some rocks. It was more of a lighter, chocolate color compared to most garter snakes I've seen. Lately, I've become more aware of and interested in the different color variations amongst snakes of the same species. We also saw a marbled salamander, which was pretty cool.

October 9th, 2021

Despite not finding a lot of snakes today, it was a pretty good day. I saw the largest garter snake I've ever seen this morning, though unfortunately I saw it too late and it got away so I didn't get any pictures. After that I saw a smaller garter snake. And finally, I found another redbelly snake, which is what I was looking for. I was at the same spot where I found 13 garter snakes last weekend, so the fact that I only found 2 today tells me we're getting really close to the end of the snaking season. Nighttime temperatures have been in the 40s recently, so I'm glad I got to see one more redbelly snake this year.

October 8th, 2021

I went for a quick copperhead run after work and found this one pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it was the only one I saw. Though I always feel lucky to see a copperhead, I'd feel even luckier if I could find one laying out in the open instead of hiding deep under rocks! It's been getting cold at night so there's probably only a couple weeks of snaking left this season. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to see another copperhead before the season ends.

October 3rd, 2021

I set two new records today! I found 13 garter snakes, which beats the previous record for most number of the same species in a single day. The previous record was 9 garter snakes, set on September 12. I also found a northern brown snake, bringing the total to 14 snakes today. That beats the previous record for most number of snakes in a single day, which was previously 11 snakes, set on May 15th. The coloration of the brown snake was very interesting. It had a slight red hue similar to the northern redbelly from September 18th, with a very pale pink venter. All the other brown snakes I've ever found were light brown, like the one seen on July 24th. The red hue made it easier to see the family resemblence between storeria dekayi (the northern brown) and storeria occipitomaculata (the northern redbelly), which both belong to the same genus.

October 2nd, 2021

I spent a few hours this morning looking for smooth green snakes at the spot I saw the one on September 11th. Unfortunately, I didn't see any but I found a garter snake. Later on my dad and I went looking for ribbon snakes and copperheads but we didn't find anything. It seems the snaking season is coming to an end as it's getting harder and harder to find anything. The good news is, after fixing the camera setting issue I became aware of earlier in the week, it does appear my photos are much sharper now!

September 27th, 2021

I went out with a new friend today who knows a lot about photography, which I really want to improve upon. We saw a ribbon snake, two black racers, and a garter snake. I learned a lot and I think I have the depth-of-field issue solved, which was causing parts of the snakes I photograph to be blurry when I'd rather the whole body be in focus (despite the artistic appeal of the blur effect). However, the photos I took today were pretty grainy, an issue which has been a constant source of frustration for me. But after reviewing the photos, we realized it was a camera setting issue. Now that that's solved, hopefully I'll be taking much better photos from now on!

September 26th, 2021

I stopped at one of my favorite spots this afternoon to see if I could find another hognose snake. I didn't, but I did come across this eastern rat snake. As I got my camera out, I realized it was in the middle of a staredown contest with a black racer. They were about 4 feet apart, staring right at each other. Unfortunately, the racer took off as I stepped forward to get a picture of them both. A little while later, I saw two more racers. I also caught a fleeting glimpse of a racer this morning. It seems racers are out gorging themselves this time of year in preparation for the winter. Unfortunately, that's bad news for all the other snakes around!

September 25th, 2021

Today was a pretty awesome day! I saw a garter snake around mid-morning, then went worm and hognose snaking with my dad. I stumbled upon a juvenile black racer attacking a baby hognose snake and got there just in time to save it. My dad finally got to see a hognose snake after missing out on the other three I found this year. It was tiny and the first one to "feign death" rather than hiss at me. It was also the first racer we've seen still showing the juvenile skin pattern. They both must have been born in the last few weeks. Afterwards, I went to another spot and found myself literally surrounded by garter snakes. There were at least 7, possibly more. There must be a den nearby so I've made a mental note to locate it next April during spring emergence.

September 22nd, 2021

Around this time of year, copperheads start returning to their dens from their summer basking grounds. Even though it means we're getting close to the end of snaking season, I've been wanting to see a few more copperheads before it's over. It rained quite a bit this afternoon but the sun came out around 5, so I decided I'd check out a few spots to see if I'd get lucky. I found one copperhead and even though I didn't get the greatest pics or videos of it, at least I saw a copperhead!

September 20th, 2021

Today I encountered the largest timber rattlesnake I've seen so far. It was an impressive sight to see. It was a yellow morph that looked to be at least 3.5 feet and was pretty thick. It's rattle was in good shape and had 11 segments (check out the last photo). I came across it out in the open just before it went into a hiding spot. Once inside, it turned around to check me out. I'll be honest, when a rattlesnake that big is eyeing you, it's a bit intimidating! I saw a garter snake today as well.

September 19th, 2021

Black racer attack! I was out early this morning and encountered a cranky northern black racer that didn't appreciate the early hour I flipped it's cover. It let me know by giving me a gentle nip on my thumb, after which it proceeded to attack my camera repeatedly. Better that than my thumb though, because I got most of it on video. Later on I saw another racer with my dad at a different spot. It was nice to see some racers today because although I saw them frequently during the springtime, I only saw one in June, one in July, and one in August.

September 18th, 2021

I found two redbelly snakes today! Both of them were brown morphs, which I was happy to see since the one I found in August was a gray morph. I'm glad I got to see both colorations. The second one I found was lying under the same cover as a garter snake of about the same size. That completes my second quest to re-find all of the snakes I had only found once during the original quest to find all 14 CT snakes. In the last few weeks I managed to find several timber rattlesnakes, a worm snake, smooth green snake, and these 2 redbelly snakes, even though it took me several months to find those 4 snakes the first time (from May to August). I wasn't satisfied with seeing those snakes just once, wanted the challenge of finding them again, and wanted to get better pictures of them. My next focus will be to find more hognose snakes!

September 12th, 2021

I set a new personal record today for finding the most snakes of the same species in one day. I found 9 garter snakes, which beats my previous record of 8 ringnecks set on June 5th. Coincidentally, the only other snake I found today was a ringneck. I was hoping to find a redbelly snake to complete my new quest of finding all the CT snakes at least twice, but finding 10 snakes in one day and setting a new record is pretty cool, so I can't complain. The garter snakes I saw came in many different colorations and sizes. I also saw my lifer blue-spotted salamander which I've been wanting to see.

September 11th, 2021

Today was incredible! I found the two hardest-to-find snakes in CT on the same day: the worm and smooth green snakes. The worm snake took nearly a month and a half to find the first time around, and the smooth green took nearly a month, so I was really lucky to find them both on the same day. Recently I started a new quest to find all of the snakes I only found once this year again. When I started, those were the rattlesnake, smooth green, worm, and redbelly snakes. I've already found a few rattlesnakes since then, and now that I've found the smooth green and worm snakes again, I only have one left - the redbelly snake, which is last just like my original quest.

September 6th, 2021

I found another eastern hognose snake today! I've been trying to find another one recently since they are one of my favorite snakes, if not my #1 favorite now. No other CT snake has as much personality as they do. They're also really cute. I consider myself lucky to have been able to find three this year. I'll keep looking and hopefully I'll be able to find at least one more!

September 5th, 2021

Today was my first "double viper" day – meaning I saw both of CT's venomous snake species on the same day. I went to a spot nearby to where I saw the two timber rattlesnakes last week and found another two hiding together under the same rock ledge. Afterwards, I stopped by a reliable spot for copperheads and saw one there. I didn't get a good look at it and the videos aren't worth posting, but it was still pretty awesome to see both of Connecticut's pit vipers on the same day!

August 28th, 2021

After succesfully completing my quest last weekend, my new quest is to re-find all the snakes I've only found once: the timber rattlesnake, smooth green snake, worm snake, and redbelly snake. I started with the timber rattlesnake since I didn't get good pictures of the one I saw back in May. I managed to find TWO today. However, I choked again when it came to the photography, to be honest. I made an amateur mistake, but I know what I did wrong so I won't repeat it. Nevertheless, I still got to see and appreciate two timber rattlesnakes and I have a good excuse to look for them again some day. Sadly, the yellow morph appears to have snake fungal disease. I also saw a northern black racer as well.

August 21st, 2021

I found the redbelly snake today! I started out early and within about 15 minutes found a very small garter snake. It must have been born this year. After that I didn't find anything for nearly 3 hours, despite flipping everything that could be flipped. After running out of water, and getting ready to give up for the day, I dug into some leaf litter and there it was! My first-ever northern redbelly snake, and the last snake I needed to find to complete my quest!

August 14th, 2021

I went to a new spot to look for redbelly snakes today and found 6 garter snakes and 1 ringneck snake before 9am. I thought it was going to be a repeat of last weekend when I only found garter and ringnecks snakes. After checking out a few more spots with no luck, I went back to a spot I went to last Saturday to explore it a little more. I finally broke my garter and ringneck streak there when I found this pretty decently-sized milk snake. Not a bad day, but I would have traded all 8 snakes I saw today for 1 redbelly!

August 8th, 2021

The redbelly snake avoided detection again today. I went to a new spot looking for it but only found two garter snakes and a dead milk snake. On the way home, I talked to my dad who had found a freshly road-killed garter snake near his house that looked like it could have been a gravid female. I drove over and performed an emergency dissection on it, in case there were any live babies trapped inside. It turned out to be a snake with a fat belly, not a gravid female. It was worth the try though. While there, I flipped some rocks and found 2 ringneck snakes. Two days in a row of just garters and ringnecks this weekend.

August 7th, 2021

I went looking for the redbelly snake today, the last snake I need to find. By 7:15am I had already found 2 garter snakes, buried under a pile of branches and rotting tree bark at my first stop. I went to a few other locations afterwards but didn't find anything, so I headed back to the first spot again. I dug around some more and found 2 ringneck snakes. When I spotted the first one, I could only see a couple inches of a dark tail and the flash of a brightly colored venter, so for a second I thought it was a redbelly! However, it seems it won't be that easy. I found 2 more garter snakes at 2 different stops later on, for a total of four, and my first red-spotted newt.

August 1st, 2021

Once again, a lot of persistence, some research, and a bit of luck has paid off. I found my first ever smooth green snake today! I've spent the last few weekends driving all over the state, wandering through grassy fields for hours and hours in search of this snake. The phrase "needle in a haystack" comes to mind. Like the worm snake, I was initially a bit shocked when I first saw it. Finally! It was the most docile snake I've ever handled and if the snakes of Connecticut had a beauty contest, the smooth green snake would probably win. Thirteen snakes down, only one more to go!

July 26th, 2021

Today I went back to the spot I've been going to for the last few weekends to look for smooth green snakes and I might have seen a hatchling, but it disappeared in the grass before I could catch it. It was about 4-5 inches long and dark, but not black. Smooth green snakes are olive-colored until their first shed and this is around the time that they'd be hatching from their eggs. I only saw it for a second so I can't say for sure what it was. I was able to catch a garter snake and I also went back to the water snake den and saw the same water snake I saw on the 24th. You can tell it's getty ready to shed because it eyes are really cloudy.

July 25th, 2021

I went redbelly snaking today, though the weather wasn't the greatest for finding snakes. It rained most of the morning and it was windy as well, which snakes are averse to. I didn't find a redbelly but I found this small eastern garter snake. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to hold still for an in situ video. On the way to the first stop this morning I saw my first black bear, and later on saw my first red squirrel. I also met and chatted with some nice people about snaking. Today is also my birthday and it turned out to be a good day despite the weather!

July 24th, 2021

Today was a good day for snaking. I saw 8 snakes from 5 different species: 1 ribbon, 1 ringneck, 2 garter, 2 brown, and 2 water snakes. That's a new personal record for the most species seen in a single day. The previous record was 4, set on May 15th and 18th. My record for the most total snakes in a single day is 11, also set on May 15th. Both watersnakes I saw were at the same location as the one seen on the 17th. It seems to be a reliable spot for them, and I suspect they're denning in the stone wall you see in the video. As good of a day as it was, the smooth green and redbelly snakes continue to elude me!

July 17th, 2021

I went out looking for smooth green and redbelly snakes today. Though I didn't find either, I got to meet and chat with a lot of really nice people about snaking. I found an awesome looking black racer in the morning. This afternoon I met a nice couple named Jennifer and Sage on the side of the road by a small river. I had just searched the open area on the far side of the river to no avail. They told me about a snake they've seen laying in the same spot down by the water on the near side where they go swimming. We all went down to look for it, and sure enough, it was there - a northern water snake. Thank you and nice to meet you!

July 14th, 2021

After work I took a quick trip back to the same spot where I first saw ribbon snakes on April 24th. It turns out that they're pretty elusive and evasive. The first one I saw took off while I was still about 20 feet from it, trying to get my camera out of my bag. I moved on, then came back about 10 minutes later and saw another (probably the same individual). It took off again before I could get a picture, but I was able to find and catch it this time. On the way back to the car, I saw another one, which was definitely a different individual, but it also fled before I could get close enough for a picture!

July 11th, 2021

I have two snakes left to find: the smooth green snake and the northern redbelly snake. I hadn't started to look for either of them until today since both require I travel a little further out of my normal range. I was up early and drove to an area where I thought I had a chance of seeing a smooth green snake. Within 2 minutes of arriving, I found a northern water snake out basking. I'm glad I saw it because it was the only snake I saw all day! I went to several other spots looking for the smooth green snake out in the open, and flipped a few rocks in case I got lucky and found a redbelly snake, but neither of them made their presence known.

July 10th, 2021

I found an eastern worm snake today! After several months of fruitless searching, leaving no stone left unturned quite literally, my persistence has finally paid off. I found it under what was probably the last rock I was going to flip for the day and I almost couldn't believe it when I saw it. Fortunately, I snapped out of my disbelief quickly because it nearly got away. It was quite a feisty snake and did not want to hold still, so I didn't get the greatest pictures and videos of it. My dad was there too so he got to see and handle it while I took a few photos. I also saw an eastern garter snake and two rat snakes today. Twelve snakes down, only two more to go!

July 5th, 2021

I went out today looking for worm snakes, but while driving I thought to myself it would be nice to find a milk snake since I didn't get very good footage of the only other milk snake I saw on May 20th this year (though it was cool to see it cuddling with a black racer). Once again, the worm snakes have eluded me but I did manage to find a milk snake, so I consider it a successful day. I also saw a brown snake and two garter snakes. The worm snake is proving to be harder than the hognose snake to find.

July 4th, 2021

Today was a good day. It was cloudy again all morning, but when the sun started to peak through the clouds around noon, I decided on another impromptu snake adventure like last weekend. I was looking specifically for hognose snakes, which are quickly becoming my favorite snake along with copperheads. I managed to find a small one, probably born last year. It was about half the size of the one I saw last week and much lighter in color. I also saw a large northern water snake and a gravid northern brown snake.

June 27th, 2021

I finally found a hognose snake! After going to the same area to look for hognose snakes about a dozen times with no luck, my persistence has finally paid. off. The weather has been cloudy and rainy for the past few days, but I decided to go again today at the last minute, just when the sun was starting to peek through the clouds. I found the hognose snake stretched out trying to warm itself up. It put on an impressive display of hissing and posturing (but didn't play dead). Three more snakes to go!

June 25th, 2021

Today I spent a long time looking for hognose snakes and flipping rocks looking for worm snakes. Unfortunately, I didn't find either of them, but I saw a Northern brown snake and a pretty big black racer. The weather wasn't very good so I'm lucky I saw any snakes at all. I also saw my first-ever marbled salamander (see photos).

June 20th, 2021

I finally found a Northern brown snake today. I'd actually found one in early April, but the video was blurry, so I didn't count it, and I'd been unable to find another one since then. I found the one today under a rock at my parent's house, coiled up next to a ringneck snake. I also found a baby garter snake and a second brown snake. This afternoon we went to a park where I thought I had a good chance of finding a water snake, which I managed to do. Just 4 more snakes to go!

June 6th, 2021

I couldn't find any copperheads at my most reliable den areas. The recent hot weather seems to have brought about the end of copperhead den emergence season and they must have started to move away from their den sites for the summer, when they'll be nocturnal and much harder to find. I did, however, manage to find 3 northern water snakes and a garter snake.

June 5th, 2021

Today was a big day for ringneck snakes. I saw a total of 8 at two different locations. I also saw an eastern rat snake and was able to get pretty close to a snapping turtle, resting under a tree, which looked like it had been digging around for a spot to lay its eggs the night before. I also saw a black widow spider. I believe it was the southern black widow, latrodectus mactans, not the northern. Surprisingly, we have both species in CT.

May 23rd, 2021

I spent a few hours looking for hognose snakes today, but they managed to elude me yet again. It's proving to be a difficult snake to find, which isn't surprising since it's a species of concern in the state of CT. However, it was an awesome day to be outside and I found a fairly large Eastern rat snake. I'm pretty sure it's the biggest one I've seen so far.

May 21st, 2021

Today was my best day yet for copperheads. I found 5 all within one small area and got 4 of them on video together. Unfortunately, I hadn't yet found the 5th yet at that time. Once I found it and walked a couple steps back to where the 4 just were, I saw that 3 of them had already disappeared without making a sound. I also saw a Northern black racer.

May 20th, 2021

I saw my first Eastern milk snake of the year tonight. It was hiding with a black racer. Even though I didn't get a great look at them, it was cool to see them together like that. I'm up to 9 out of the 14 species for the season. I also saw 2 water snakes together but by the time I got over to them with my camera, the smaller one had taken off. As you can see, the larger one didn't appreciate my videography.

May 19th, 2021

I saw 4 copperheads and 2 water snakes today. Three of the copperheads were ones that I saw yesterday, in nearly the same exact spots. However, the one in the 2nd video was found in a new location close to the top of a talus slope. Notice how much brighter the one in the first video is compared to the one in the second.

May 18th, 2021

Another successful day: 9 snakes in two hours. I saw 2 black racers, 2 water snakes, 1 garter snake, and 4 copperheads. Today was my best day yet for finding copperheads. The first one was hiding in an area I've spent many days searching but haven't had much luck other than the one I found in the same general area on May 7th. The two in the video together are the same two from yesterday, in the same exact spot. The fourth one was about ten feet away from them.

May 17th, 2021

I took my dad to see his first copperhead tonight. We went to the spot where I saw my first one last month. I saw a total of three. The first one slithered off before he got to see it, but I found two more after that, within a few feet of each other. Hopefully, I'll get to see them a few more times before the warmer weather hits, when they start to migrate away from their dens and become nocturnal.

May 16th, 2021

I went looking for hognose snakes with my dad today but we didn't find any. This is the 4th time I've been to this location looking for them, but have yet to see one. However, we flipped a tin and found a sub-adult black racer, which was old enough to have lost it's juvenile patterning, but still lighter in color than an adult racer. It was a short day because of the rain.

May 15th, 2021

Today was my best day of snaking of the year so far, but worst day for photography. I saw a total of 11 snakes: five black racers, one water snake, two ringneck snakes, and three copperheads in two different spots. Unfortunately, I suffered a camera malfunction where I found the first 2 copperheads so the footage I have isn't that great.

May 14th, 2021

Today was a pretty eventful day. I went to a spot to look for water snakes and found one in less than a minute. Then a came across what I think is a copperhead den high up a talus slope. The first copperhead I saw slid under some rocks to hide before I could get a photo of it. Then I heard two more rustling in the leaves beneath the rocks within a few feet of me. Then I saw a fourth one, which I was able to photograph.

May 13th, 2021

Crotalus horridus. The Holy Grail of snaking in CT. I saw a timber rattlesnake for the first time ever today. It was coiled up when I saw it, but retreated under a rock before I could get my camera ready. I managed to take a few hurried pictures before it completely disappeared. I definitely missed the shot, but...it still counts. That makes 8 out of 14! Hopefully, I'll get better photos and video next time.

May 9th, 2021

Today was a good day for snaking. My dad and I saw 2 rat snakes, 3 black racers, and a Northern ringneck snake. We saw both a rat snake and a racer climbing trees. Rat snakes are known to be good climbers but we were surpised at how well the racer was able to climb. The ringneck snake is a new species for the year, so I'm up to 7 out of 14 so far.

May 7th, 2021

I found two well-hidden snakes today. The black racer may have been the one with the amputed tail from last time, but I couldn't tell. And I finally found another copperhead, in a different area this time, hanging out in a spot where I've seen racers hiding before.

May 2nd, 2021

Went to a new spot looking for hognose snakes today but found a couple black racers instead. Watch how fast it goes after it strikes the camera in the second video. At a second location I found a racer with an amputated tail.

April 24th, 2021

After a long day of snaking without any luck, I came across an Eastern ribbon snake on my way back to the car. I found a second one, which was a bit smaller, a few minutes later. New species for me!

April 20th, 2021

Two copperheads today. Unfortunately, I didn't get good video of the first one. Their camouflage is so good that even when I'm staring right at one, it takes my eyes a second or two to realize what I'm seeing.

April 18th, 2021

Today was another good day. I found a copperhead near the same spot as the one on April 9th and I saw two species I haven't seen yet this year—the Eastern rat snake and Northern water snake. I also saw 4 black racers.

April 10th, 2021

I only saw Northern black racers today. I saw a total of five in two different areas. I finally managed to get some closeup videos and pictures of them before they fled and hid in the talus. In the second video, you can see why they're called racers.

April 9th, 2021

Today was another good day. I saw a garter snake early on, then three Northern black racers in about the same spot I saw the two last time. Towards the end of the day, I went to a different area and finally managed to find a copperhead. Unfortunately, it was camera shy and didn't let me see its head.

April 4th, 2021

Not a bad first day! I saw 2 garter snakes, which I didn't manage to get on video, and 2 Northern black racers basking in the sun together. I was not expecting the first one to come towards me the way it did, which was a pleasant surprise. I thought it was going to make a move on me!