In Vermont where I live, Smooth Greensnakes are abundant in much of the state, but absent from colder areas such as what we call the “Northeast Kingdom” and higher elevations where summer conditions are not warm enough for their eggs to properly develop. But even where they are more common, the species is often overlooked due to their cryptic nature. They aren’t a species that turns up in people’s yards very often, instead preferring more natural meadow habitat, especially wet areas such as beaver meadows or near lakes and ponds. Although they are found in agricultural fields on occasion, modern agricultural practices, especially mowing, make such settings a challenging place for the species to thrive. Instead, power line corridors are the human-made habitat where the species seems to do best as the habitat is maintained as mostly open, tends to have many wet spots, and is only mowed every few years.