floridensis
janson jones
Spring Break 2023: Coluber constrictor paludicola
Coluber constrictor paludicola, the Everglades racer;
Miami-Dade county, Florida (14 March 2023).
Spring Break 2023
Typically, racers are very shy and reactive to human presence. This Everglades racer most certainly was not. I suppose it was used to people ambling by on the paved portion of the Anhinga Trail. The racer was going about its day, patrolling the edge of the trail, while people passed by it. I’m amazed how many people walked by and never noticed it. It’s not like the racer was being stealthy. Only when I paused to lean down and snap a few shots did other people start to notice it. Of course, then I had to wait around until the racer was safely back in the scrub to ensure nobody tried to kill it. At least nobody claimed it was a cottonmouth this time; that often happens whenever I’m working with damn near anything that’s not a cottonmouth and a person passes by.
floridensis 