An unexpected kingsnake

Successful though our trip to the Big Bend region of West Texas had been, Jake still didn't have an opportunity to hunt roadcuts for the fabled gray-banded kingsnake. Of course, since this was Jake's first trip to the "Bend" he was interested in photographing nearly anything he could and would see, be it a black widow or a crevice lizard.

But I was being a bit more selective. Having, over the years, found more than my share of gray-bands, I was primarily interested in finding a Texas lyre snake, a dweller of the rocky deserts and roadcuts that eluded me for the more than 60 years I sought it.

Guess what? It eluded me again just as the gray-band had so far eluded Jake. In fact, I was beginning to wonder whether we should be road-hunting rather than walking the cuts. Were we just wasting our time by walking? So far all we had seen was heavy traffic. But my outlook quickly changed when Jake, suddenly brought up short in mid-stride, stated "Milksnake" and asked "What kind is out here?"

My mind stopped working when I heard milksnake. I knew that the subspecies would be the beautiful New Mexico milk, Lampropeltis triangulum celaenops, a snake I had found elsewhere in its range but never in the Big Bend.

As I turned and hustled towards Jake I saw him bend and pick up a wriggling candycane, one of the prettiest New Mexican milks I have yet seen. I just couldn't imagine this subspecies getting much brighter than the example Jake was holding. When you check out the 3 accompanying pictures, I think you'll agree.

Our walk had suddenly taken on a far more favorable aspect.

More photos below...

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.