Northern Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata)

Recently, I was doing some gardening, actually pulling tufts of grass up by the roots from around the border of my raised-bed gardens, when a noticed that there was a small snake in the grass clump I had just uprooted. The snake was very small and brown. At first, I almost mistook it for a night-crawler. It turned out to be a northern red-bellied snake of about seven or eight inches in length.

Northern Red-bellied Snake
Photo by Brad Sylvester. All rights reserved.

According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game website, this diminutive snake eats snails and slugs. As it happens, the border to my raised bed garden is made of wood and when we have wet weather, small black slugs can be found on the wood. All the sources I found include small slugs as the preferred menu item for the northern red-bellied snake although a number of sources add other various prey to the snake's diet. It's worth noting that the sources don't agree exactly on what those other items might be. At any rate, eating slugs from around my garden earns this little snake my favor.

The red-bellied snake is quite small with a maximum length
of about 16 inches.
Photo by Brad Sylvester. All rights reserved.

The northern red-bellied snake doesn't grow more than 16 inches in length and is completely harmless to humans and pets. Because of its small size and tendency to hide under woody debris (where it's primary prey resides), it is not often seen. In fact, this specimen that I found accidently while working in my garden is the first of its species that I have ever encountered.

The red-bellied snake is viviparous which means that it gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Sources vary on the maximum litter size ranging from highs of 14-23 although average litters are much smaller by all accounts, with about six to nine baby snakes being the average estimate.

The specimen that I found living in my yard was brown with a pinkish belly with an almost blue border separating the pink belly from the darker area of its body. While not typical, this coloration is well within the range for this species. The belly can range from red to orange to pink, while the upper body may be brown, grey or black with four darker stripes running along its length. Some of these snakes have 3 pale dots around the nape of the neck, but the one I found in my yard did not.

According to the Michigan Society of Herpetologists. the northern red-bellied snake can often  be found around dumps that contain wood scraps or sheet metal that provide good habitat for slugs. If present, they can be found by flipping over bits of wood or sheet metal that is lying on the ground.
The one I found in my yard was in tall moist grass growing against the sides of my raised bed garden which is made with wood that frequently has little black slugs patrolling its surface after a rain or a heavy night dew fall.

The underside of the red-bellied snake may be pink, red or orange.
Photo by Brad Sylvester. All rights reserved.
 

 

How to Catch and Hold a Dragonfly

There are literally hundreds of different species of dragonflies. They come in many bright colors and beautiful patterns. They are, arguably, as beautiful as butterflies, but because they fly so fast it is often difficult to see them in any detail. The reason they fly so fast is because they are insect world's equivalent of an air to air missile. Dragonflies, you see, eat other flying insects. Not only that, but they catch them right out of the air as they are flying. To do that, dragonflies must fly faster and be more maneuverable than their prey. Their flying prowess is wonderful for them, but not so great for spectators who want to see their colors and figure out what species they might belong to.
 
The Fear of Dragonflies

Maybe it's the dragonfly's reputation as a predator or maybe it's the viciousness of the aquatic dragonfly nymph, but these colorful winged missiles have a reputation as having a nasty bite-or a nasty sting, most people aren't really sure which. Most people do know however, that dragonflies are something to be feared. Actually, however, most people are completely wrong on this account. Dragonflies don't bite and have no stinger at all. They are, as a matter of fact, completely harmless to people.

How to Hold a Dragonfly
Those studying dragonflies often hold them in their bare hands in order to get a closer look. The proper way to hold a dragonfly without injuring it, is to fold its wings upward into a vertical position relative to its body so that the left and right side wings are touching, and then hold the wings between the thumb and index finger near the wingtips.

Holding them is easy; the hard part is catching them. Dragonflies, as I've already mentioned, are fast and nimble fliers. Like most insects, they also have compound eyes that give them a very wide field of view. This means that even when they do alight on a leaf or a blade of grass, they will probably see you coming and take wing before you can get close enough to reach out and grab them.

How to Catch a Dragonfly

Fortunately, we humans are a good deal more technologically advanced than dragonflies. As of right this minute, the absolute pinnacle of technology when it comes to catching dragonflies is the butterfly net. The butterfly net should have a long handle which allows you to take a swipe with the net at stationary dragonflies without getting close enough to scare them off. You can try netting them from the air, but you may find you have better luck waiting for them to land.
The net portion should be a fine mesh that is transparent enough for you to see inside the net. The net portion should be long enough that it flops over the net frame so that it effectively closes itself off, preventing whatever you have netted from flying out. That way you can reach in and grab the dragonfly by its wings.

Let it Go Unharmed

Once you have it in hand, you can examine the dragonfly closely, noting its features and coloration in order to help determine the species to which it belongs. In some cases, however, a microscopic examination to differentiate between closley related species may be required. Once you have finished, it should be released. Adult dragonflies do not make good pets because of their dietary habits and their high-speed flying.

Note: This article was originally published at Yahoo! Contributor Network on August 15th, 2011, where it was viewed 3212 times. All publishing rights reverted back to me as the original author when Yahoo! decided to discontinue the Y! Contributor Network on August 1st, 2014.