Species
Rough greensnake
Opheodrys aestivus
A slender, bright green snake of vines and shrubs that eats caterpillars and spiders.
Photo Joshua Liverman (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 55 to 90 cm long; very slender
- Habitat
- Shrubs, vines and trees near streams, ponds and woodland edges
- Diet
- Caterpillars, crickets, grasshoppers and spiders
- In Georgia
- Common statewide
- Venomous
- No
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Bright green above and yellow-green below; very slim with a long tail
- Told apart from
- No other Georgia snake is plain bright green
- Where to look
- Draped in shrubs and vines over water, where it is hard to see
Behaviour
Rough greensnakes spend most of their time in vegetation, swaying gently like a vine in the breeze. They hunt insects by sight and are gentle, rarely biting.
Why they matter
They eat caterpillars and other insects that damage plants, and are prey for birds.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Usually 3 to 12
Nest — In tree holes, rotting logs or under boards
Incubation — About 5 to 12 weeks
Hatchlings — Grey-green
Maturity — In two years
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- It is harmless; pesticides kill the insects it lives on.
Misconceptions
- Green snakes are venomous. In Georgia the green snake is harmless.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Sheltering | Sheltering | Emerging | Active | Mating | Laying | Active | Hatching | Young active | Active | Sheltering | Sheltering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 25 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
Mexico
If you found one
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