Eastern Milksnake
For at least a couple years Duke Farms has had educational meadow posters that talk about the Eastern Milksnake . While I've had to confess to passersby that I've never seen one at Duke Farms, I've now seen them elsewhere in the county: at Washington Valley Park. (I always mention that it's hard to know everything that's going on in the middle of a meadow.) This snake is pretty distinctive with its brownish-red blotches outlined in black, though the "Y" or "V" pattern on the back of the head is also a good field mark. Unlike our 2 most common (AFAIK) snakes - the Eastern Garter Snake and the Northern Watersnake - the Eastern Milksnake is oviparous (egg-laying). They generally hatch in the autumn at around 4 inches in length, but if they live long enough they can get a little over 4 feet long. The one in my pictures was pretty small and so must have been 1-2 years old. The Eastern Milksnake constricts its prey to subdue it, a little like a very...