- Kathleen Scavone
- Posted On
The Living Landscape: The ring-necked snake
A narrow fellow in the grass
Occasionally rides;
You may have met him, -did you not?
His notice sudden is.
– Emily Dickinson
“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”
– William Shakespeare
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The beautiful ring-necked snake I saw in the yard was a treat to behold – especially so when I learned that it is usually nocturnal, and not often spotted out during daylight hours.
This brightly hued, orange snake sports a neck band of the same color.
I learned, via Robert C. Stebbins and Samuel M. McGinnis' "Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California" that this breed of snake is harmless. It can be seen in Mexico, the United States and on up into southeastern Canada.
Ring-necked snakes possess venom, but are harmless to humans.
Herpetologists believe ring-necked snakes are most celebrated for their "defense posture" where they curl up to display their vivid coloration.
The ventral area of the ring-necked snake can be bright orange or red, and its dorsal colors come in shades ranging from black, brown, gray or olive.
These snakes have smooth, rather than rough scales. The ring-necked snake's cousins who reside in Utah or New Mexico don't have the attractive neck band that those who live here show.
This species of snake does not grow very long. Adults grow to a length of only 10 to 18 inches. The diet of Ring-necks includes worms, slugs, frogs and even salamanders.
The lowly snake has held a special place in literature over time. Snakes have been connected with rain in the Chinese culture, and in some traditions snakes are a symbol of fertility.
The serpent is well known in Christianity, as a symbol of temptation in the Garden of Eden. And, in ancient Egyptian cultures the snake represented chaos.
The medical profession has had the Rod of Asclepius as its symbol, which depicts a snake twining around a staff.
Sometimes the caduceus, or symbol of Hermes which depicts two snakes intertwined around a staff with wings is used, and there is, understandably some confusion on the two similar-themed symbols.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.