Name: Wildlife Wonderings -- Rough Green Snake
Start: 2026-05-06T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-05-06T13:00:00-05:00
Location: 20634 Kenswick Dr, Humble, TX, United States, Texas 77338

Wildlife Wonderings -- Rough Green Snake
Of the many snake species encountered in Jesse Jones Park, one of people's favorites is the Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus). This beautiful gentle emerald-green snake is docile, often allowing close approach by humans, and rarely bites. Even if or when bites occur, they have no venom and are harmless.
As mentioned, it is bright green above and has a yellowish belly, affording it excellent camouflage in green vegetation and making it difficult to see in the wild -- even though they are relatively common in their habitat. It has keeled dorsal scales, which are arranged in 17 rows at mid-body. It grows up to 45 inches in total length -- including tail -- and it is very thin.
The Rough Green Snake ranges throughout the Southeastern United States, from Florida, north to Southern New Jersey, Indiana, and west to Central Texas. The snake is commonly found in the Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain but is not found in the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. It is also found in northeastern Mexico, including the state of Tamaulipas and eastern Nuevo León.
Its preferred habitats are moist meadows and woodlands, typically near water. It is highly arboreal and prefers a narrow arboreal microhabitat of dense brush in edge situations. This microhabitat is found in a variety of habitats, such as lakeshores, streambanks, or upland ravines. If the Rough Green Snake is kept in captivity, it is recommended that it be kept in a taller enclosure with plenty of cover and climbing opportunities. It is frequently found climbing in low vegetation and is also a good swimmer. However, it is often found on the ground as well. Unlike many snakes, it is largely diurnal. At night it is found coiled in the branches of trees. Preference is given to perches based upon distance from the shoreline, height of branches, and thickness of the individual branch.
Opheodrys aestivus is a dietary specialist. Its diet consists mostly of insects and other terrestrial arthropods, but some snails and tree frogs are also eaten. This snake is not a constrictor; most prey is grabbed and overpowered by their unusually strong jaw for snakes. The Rough Green Snake has been shown to rely heavily on visual cues for prey detection and to prefer living prey items. As foraging activity increases, the tongue evolves greater elongation and deeper forking, and the abundance of chemoreceptors rises in the vomeronasal organs, the chemosensory responsiveness is adjusted to match its diet. Orthopterans constitute 16.9 percent and all arthropods about 98 percent of dietary volume of the Rough Green Snake. It exhibits greater chemosensory investigation of chemical cues from insect prey than from representatives of other taxa because of the linked importance of insects to their diet. Also, it is able to live away from standing water by sucking droplets of dew from leaves.
Predators of the Rough Green Snake include birds and other snakes, such as the Eastern Racer (Coluber constrictor) and the Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula). They can also be infected by parasites including the Cryptosporidium species. The Rough Green Snake also does not exhibit any predator-resistance capabilities besides fleeing; however. They rely heavily on their camouflage. They often undergo a lot of stress due to human presence.
Females lay 2-14 eggs, occasionally in a communal nest shared by more than one female. Up to 75 eggs have been found in one such nest. The nest site varies -- under boards, under bark in rotting stumps, in deep mulch, or under a rock. Hatchlings from spring breeding typically emerge in August or September.
The Rough Green Snake is widespread and is not of conservation concern. However, urban development, especially the reduction of vegetation near waterways, may reduce their numbers. Many are killed on roads, and they may be susceptible to poisoning by pesticides used on their insect prey. When dead, they turn blue. It is also one of the most exploited pet snakes in North America as they are collected by the hundreds each year.
To see one of these beautiful snakes for yourself, come to Jesse Jones Park & Nature Center at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, for Wildlife Wonderings. This program is free of charge and open to snake lovers of all ages.