Description: Small and strewamlined; bright grass green with long tapering tail. The underside is white tinged with pale yellow. Hatchlings are bluish-gray or dark olive green. The scales are smooth in 15 rows and the anal plate is divided.
Habitat: Meadows, grassy marshes, moist grassy fields along the forest edge. Found from sea level to 9,500 feet.
Breeding: Mates in spring and late summer. Lays 3 to 11 cylindrical shaped, thin shelled eggs late July to August. The young hatch in 4 to 23 days and are 4" to 6½" long. A choice egg laying site may be shared by multiple females.
Range: Nova Scotia west to southeastern Saskatchewan, south to North Carolina and northeastern Kansas; southeastern Idaho and Wyoming south into northeastern and southeastern Utah and eastern New Mexico; southeastern Texas along with numerous scattered populations.
Diet: Diet consist of spiders and insects.
Behavior: Active durnig the day. A capable slimber, but is largely terrestrial.
Conservation Status:
Additonal Notes: Its color provides excellent camouflage as it moves through the grass and low shrubs for prey. Large numbers of this species may overwinter together.
Subspecies: Two
Eastern Smooth Green Snake (O.v. vernalis) - male has fewer than 131 belly scales, female fewer than 140. Found from Nova Scotia west to southeastern Ontario, south to western North Carolina and through Michigan; eastern and northern Wisconsin and central and north central Minnesota. Photo...
Western Smooth Green Snake (O.v. blanchardi) - Males has more then 131 belly scales, male has 140 or more. Found in northwestern Indiana morthwest to southern Manitoba, west through the remainder of the indicated range with scattered populations in southwestern Ohio, central and southwestern Indiana west. Photo...
