Yesterday was warm, humid, and a little sunny. It was nice, especially after last week when our evening temperatures went below freezing. Some of the little animals that live here must have felt the same way. In one of the tire tracks in my drive was this tiny red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) sunning itself on the warm gravel.

Red-bellied snakes are harmless, non-venomous, and eat small insects. They’re rather docile and don’t seem to get too upset when handled. I often find them in mounds of old hay and leaves where the decomposing plant matter generates heat.

The Minnesota DNR has a webpage on red-bellied snakes here.