Phantoms of the Forest: The Secretive Nature of Timber Rattlesnakes
Timber Rattlesnakes, although very dangerous animals when harassed, rely first on their camouflage for defense, and last on their venom (with several steps in between). They are very docile animals that, under most circumstances, go to great lengths to avoid biting humans. In truth, if their objective was to bite and envenomate every passing human […]
Enduring and Avoiding the Cold – How Reptiles and Amphibians Survive Northern Winters
This post was adapted from an older magazine article the Kiley wrote in late 2017. With each trip in and out of the snow encrusted Canadian waters, another layer of ice accumulated on my waders, forming a frigid exoskeleton around my legs. I knew from experience not to tie the laces of my boots tightly, […]
Smooth Greensnakes: My Most Abundant White Whale.
Ever since childhood I had a fondness for snakes and some of my earliest memories involve watching neighbor kids take a step back as I wrangled small serpents from ditches and rock piles (though I am not sure if my friends were distancing themselves out of fear or an aversion to most snakes’ typical defense: […]
Filling the Void: Public Outreach in the Year of Social Distancing.
I am very thankful that due to the nature of our Wood Turtle conservation program and the low Covid-19 positivity rate in Vermont, our field work in the Great Northern Forests was able to move forward without the need to make substantial operational changes (although the first few weeks were touch-and-go to say the least). […]
Diamonds in the Rough: Are Populations of Elusive Ribbonsnakes Hiding in Plain Sight?
As a kid back in the 1990s I was absolutely positive I had both Common Gartersnakes and Eastern Ribbonsnakes slithering around in the fields behind my house, but today I chalk that up to some shotty use of a field guide on my part. Gartersnakes are widespread in Vermont and the only species of snake […]