Description

14-26".Small and streamlined; bright grass-green with long tapering tail. Belly white,tinged with pale yellow. Hatchlings bluish-gray or dark olive-green. Scales smooth, in 15 row. Anal plate divided.

Breeding

Mates spring and late summer. Lays 3-11 cylindrical-shaped, thin-shelled eggs, late July to August. Young hatch in 4-23 days at 4-6 1/2". A choice egg-laying site may be shared by a number of females.

Habitat

'Meadows, grassy marshes, moist grassy fields along forest edge; sea level to 9,500'..

Subspecies

Difficult to differentiate. Eastern male has fewer than 131 belly scales, female fewer than 140. Active during the day. A capable climber, but is largely terrestrial. Its color provides excellent camoflage as it moves through grass and low shrubs in search of insects and spiders. Large numbers of this species may overwinter together.