The search for an Eastern fox snake

Kenny wanted to see an Eastern fox snake, Pantherophis vulpina gloydi, because it would be a lifer for him and I wanted to see it just because I wanted to see it.

I had seen this species before, but I never tire of seeing herps in the wild, so we were somewhere along the southern shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio. We walked through a beautiful park where the Eastern fox snake was said to be common. We failed to find one there. We were now walking a breakwater that had jumbles of boulders for its entire length and a fairly dense tree canopy for most of its length.

We walked for more than a mile without seeing as much as a garter snake and then, having decided to try our luck elsewhere, turned to return to the car. The morning lake fog that kept temperatures a bit cool was now burning off and the boulder jumbles not shaded by the trees were beginning to warm - but still no fox snakes.

Ahead of us the area opened up to a boulder-rimmed parking lot, the near side of which had a couple of huge spreading oaks. I decided to go and look at the acorns, and as I neared the tree I almost stepped on an adult fox snake that had just emerged from between two boulders.

I called to Kenny but he was now determined to find his own and declined to come look at mine, which, it turned out was a smart decision. Just as he made another step he hollered, "Here's one," and a couple of moments later, "here's another."

First target of the day found. Westward Ho!

More photos below...

An Eastern Fox Snake basking in typically gravelly habitat. Boulders are just beyond the scope of this photo. The head of the Eastern Fox Snake is little wider than the neck.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.