HARMLESS. The Rough Greensnake is characterized by keeled scales, a divided anal scale, and a bright green head, body, and tail. The belly is a uniform white or cream, and the chin may be light yellow. Adult males have a slightly longer tail than females. The tongue is red and slightly darker at the fork tips.
Adults normally grow 56.0-81.0 cm (22-32 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 45334) from Elk County with a total length of 87.7 cm (34½ inches) collected by Henry S. Fitch on 8 July 1957. The maximum length throughout the range is 114.9 cm (45¼ inches) (Powell et al., 2016).
Known from moderately to heavily wooded areas in southeast Kansas from the Arkansas River drainage north to the Kansas River basin.
This slender, graceful snake inhabits trees, brush, shrubbery, and bushes near aquatic situations, particularly small lakes. Jeffrey Burkhart (pers. comm., 1979; Collins, 1993) found two Rough Greensnakes along a stream in Cherokee County on 21 July. Collins (1982) reported a single example of this snake on a branch overhanging a stream in the same county on 9 April. When not gliding through vegetation in search of food, this snake retires beneath rocks or leaves, or in hollow logs. The Rough Greensnake blends perfectly with green plants and is extremely difficult to observe. Burt and Hoyle (1935) stated that they may be found under rocks in prairie ledges in the early spring, but later they are most likely to be located in vegetation, especially in shrubs and trees.
This snake exhibits another interesting adaptation for concealment in thick vegetation. When a breeze causes the stems of plants to bend and wave, a Rough Greensnake sitting in their midst will bend and wave in unison with the vegetation.
This snake is active from April to September, is strictly diurnal, and has a small home range. At night it sleeps in shrubs and bushes. During winter, the Rough Greensnake retreats deep into leaf piles, in burrows beneath the ground, or in hollow logs for warmth.
The Rough Greensnake mates during the spring, but courtship is not known in Kansas. During June or July, a female lays a clutch of eggs, which range in number from one to ten (Fitch, 1985), with an average of five or six. Robert F. Clarke (pers. comm., 1980; Collins, 1993) obtained an adult female Rough Greensnake from Woodson County on 3 July. The snake laid ten eggs on 12-13 July. The eggs of this reptile may hatch in two months.
Rough Greensnakes are primarily insect-eaters, readily consuming grasshoppers, caterpillars, and crickets, but will also eat spiders. These reptiles are active daytime predators that locate prey by sight, slowly approach it, and grab it with a short rapid strike.
Taggart (1992) observed two Rough Greensnakes being consumed by a Racer on 8 September in Woodson County.
First reported from Kansas by Cragin (1885) based on a specimen collected by Colonel Nathaniel S. Goss at Neosho Falls (Woodson County). The earliest specimens (KU 1578-83: Bourbon County; KU 2701: Franklin County; KU 2702-3; Labette County) from Kansas were all collected during June of 1911.
This small, slender snake blends in well with shrubs, trees, and grasses it spends most of its time in. Most encounters with this species occur as it attempts to cross roadways In the spring, they are often found under rocks or another surface cover.
Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this snake of six years, eight months, and 21 days.
References
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