Snakey

While we walked around the boardwalk and thought of species to include in a new FBF-specific field guide, plenty of snakes made appearances in the unseasonably-warm weather to ensure their entries on the pages. There was a Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus) sunning on the fallen cypress by #4, a young Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata fasciata) sunning on a branch by #7, a hefty Eastern Cottonmouth sunning near its den at the base of a cypress along the boardwalk spur at #11, another Eastern Cottonmouth half out of its stump den just outside the nature center, and the Greenish Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta x quadrivittata) shown in the image that was swimming near #5. Unfortunately, a Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) found the driveway quite warm and a visitor's car quite heavy.