Earlier this month, I was really happy to spot this Northern Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) on the boardwalk at Huntley Meadows Park, my local marshland park. These snakes spend most of the time in the trees and in heavy brush, so I rarely get to see one, despite their very distinctive color and overall appearance. The Virginia Herpetological Society claims that this is a docile species that will not bite, but just to be safe, I took the close-up shot from a good distance away, shooting at 300mm on my telephoto zoom lens.
Generally I like to photograph my wildlife subjects in a natural environment and the “wood” on this boardwalk isn’t even natural—it’s some kind of synthetic material. In this case, however, the neutral color of the background helps to focus viewers’ attention on the colors and textures and shape of the snake. In the final two images, in particular, I really like the contrast between the sinuous curves of the snake’s body and the hard, straight lines of the man-made objects.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I’m surprised by how small it is. Nice color though.
Nice little snake Mike. Are they venomous at all?
They are not venomous, though I never dare to pick one us to find out. I prefer to photograph them wherever they happen to be.
The contrast is quite perfect. I like the strategy of using the longer lens rather testing to see if there are exceptions to the rule.
Great photos…Totally agree that bears and snakes need to be shot from a safe distance.
It’s such a Lon, skinny snake. I wonder if they are arboreal? Pretty color for a snake.
They are arboreal–the only one, I think, in my marshland park.
He’s very green.
Really nice photos, these are beautiful little snakes