A family living at Calabogie, Ontario was digging their new potatoes and came upon a different clutch of eggs.
The four specimens were white and about half the size of your little finger. The family thought they were turtle eggs but they were the wrong shape and the wrong size. They had a feeling that they were snake eggs.
They placed them in a margarine container with a layer of garden soil under and over them: about two inches deep, the same as in the potato hill. The eggs hatched in a few days and three little snakes about four and a half inches long and half the thickness of a pencil emerged. The fourth egg appeared to be damaged and did not hatch. The little snakelets were dark above with a green luster and whitish below with no other markings. These are the field marks of an immature Eastern Smooth Green Snake.
The adult female smooth green snake lays her eggs in July or late August. They are deposited in the soil, under boards or flat stones where the heat of the sun helps incubate them. There are usually four to six eggs, but there may be as few as three or as many as eleven.
The eggs are elongated and thin-shelled. They are well advanced in development when laid so hatching is usually complete within one or two weeks. The eggs of most Ontario snakes require from seven to nine weeks to hatch. The tiny, dark snakelets that emerge from the eggs measure about four and a half inches (11.5cm) long. They are able to fend for themselves as soon as they leave the egg.
The Eastern Smooth Green Snake is common in Ontario. It averages from 16 to 20 inches in length (40-50cm); the body is almost the same diameter for most of its length. Because of its protective colouration, it is seldom seen.
The smooth green snake received its name because the scales are smooth, of a satiny texture and keeless (without ridges). In Canada the species ranges from Prince Edward Island to Central Saskatchewan. It frequents grassy meadows and clearings where soil is moist. It is seldom seen in the open possibly because its colouration blends so well with the green vegetation.
This little snake is very beneficial to gardeners. Among its favourite foods are insects, grubs, worms, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars and earwigs. It is very fond of hairless green caterpillars that are about an inch long.
Snakes always prey on other animals, none eat plant material. They may be either egg-laying or live-bearing. The Northern Ringneck Snake, Eastern Smooth Green Snake, Eastern Hognose Snake, Blue Racer (extremely rare) and the Eastern Milk Snake are hatched from eggs. The Eastern Garter Snake, Northern Ribbon Snake, Queen Snake, Northern Water Snake, Brown Snake, Red Belly Snake and the Massasauga Rattle Snake (extremely rare) are born live.
Speaking of Nature
Jim Ferguson, 5313 River Road, R.R.5, Renfrew, Ontario K7V 3Z8 Phone 613-432-2738 email jamesh@nrtco.net
The four specimens were white and about half the size of your little finger. The family thought they were turtle eggs but they were the wrong shape and the wrong size. They had a feeling that they were snake eggs.
They placed them in a margarine container with a layer of garden soil under and over them: about two inches deep, the same as in the potato hill. The eggs hatched in a few days and three little snakes about four and a half inches long and half the thickness of a pencil emerged. The fourth egg appeared to be damaged and did not hatch. The little snakelets were dark above with a green luster and whitish below with no other markings. These are the field marks of an immature Eastern Smooth Green Snake.
The adult female smooth green snake lays her eggs in July or late August. They are deposited in the soil, under boards or flat stones where the heat of the sun helps incubate them. There are usually four to six eggs, but there may be as few as three or as many as eleven.
The eggs are elongated and thin-shelled. They are well advanced in development when laid so hatching is usually complete within one or two weeks. The eggs of most Ontario snakes require from seven to nine weeks to hatch. The tiny, dark snakelets that emerge from the eggs measure about four and a half inches (11.5cm) long. They are able to fend for themselves as soon as they leave the egg.
The Eastern Smooth Green Snake is common in Ontario. It averages from 16 to 20 inches in length (40-50cm); the body is almost the same diameter for most of its length. Because of its protective colouration, it is seldom seen.
The smooth green snake received its name because the scales are smooth, of a satiny texture and keeless (without ridges). In Canada the species ranges from Prince Edward Island to Central Saskatchewan. It frequents grassy meadows and clearings where soil is moist. It is seldom seen in the open possibly because its colouration blends so well with the green vegetation.
This little snake is very beneficial to gardeners. Among its favourite foods are insects, grubs, worms, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars and earwigs. It is very fond of hairless green caterpillars that are about an inch long.
Snakes always prey on other animals, none eat plant material. They may be either egg-laying or live-bearing. The Northern Ringneck Snake, Eastern Smooth Green Snake, Eastern Hognose Snake, Blue Racer (extremely rare) and the Eastern Milk Snake are hatched from eggs. The Eastern Garter Snake, Northern Ribbon Snake, Queen Snake, Northern Water Snake, Brown Snake, Red Belly Snake and the Massasauga Rattle Snake (extremely rare) are born live.
Speaking of Nature
Jim Ferguson, 5313 River Road, R.R.5, Renfrew, Ontario K7V 3Z8 Phone 613-432-2738 email jamesh@nrtco.net
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