Hypsiglena chlorophaea
May 12, 2022: Zzyzx Road after dark
On our way back to Zzyzx after having dinner in Baker, we drove slowly along along Zzyzx Road, hoping to locate some Baja California Treefrogs. When we came to a place where we could hear the frogs vocalizing, we pulled off to the side of the road. We never did see the frogs, but while I was taking some photos of a Vachon’s scorpion, one of my companions turned over a rock a few meters from the road to reveal a Desert Nightsnake!
This gorgeous, small, delicate Colubrid with an eye stripe reminiscent of a Sierran tree frog was definitely one of the highlights of our first evening at Zzyzx, and was a lifer for all of us.
Such a gorgeous snake, and a fantastic find on our first night in the desert. My only regret is that I wish everyone else could have seen it. (We hadn’t actually been “herping” that night – it was just a fortuitous find on our way back from dinner in Baker, so we weren’t quite in the right mindset yet). We did return to the location the next day, hoping the snake would still be there, but sadly it had moved on.
Let me know what you think!