There were two snakes under the next board, another concinnus and a gorgeous Ringneck Snake. This was the Northwestern Ringneck, Diadophis punctatus occidentalis, another new species for me. It was beautiful, and different from the Ringnecks back home in the Midwest. These snakes were much longer in body length, and the ventral scales were a vivid reddish orange.  This snake obliged me with a ventral display, complete with coiled tail, while I held and admired it. Our Ringnecks back home do not usually display to this extent, or for any length of time.

We continued our walk through the field, looking for things to flip...nearly every board or piece of metal had something under it, and in most cases it was another pretty Red-Spot. The head coloration on these snakes varied from deep reddish-oranges to orange to pale orange to pale yellow...none showed any side stripes and most had dark, even black ventral scutes.

Casey turned up something new, a Western Yellowbellied Racer, Coluber constrictor mormon. Another new species for me, one I was pleased to see. The more Coluber I encounter, the more interesting I find them. They are alert, active and intelligent as snakes go. This specimen was about two feet long. Casey indicated that these western racers did not reach the large sizes of the racers found in the eastern half of North America, the animal in hand being a young adult.