Rare snake not seen in Vermont for 10 years slithers into spotlight
Last edited Tue Jun 25, 2024, 05:50 AM - Edit history (1)
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-06-25/rare-black-racer-snake-found-southern-vermont-10-years
(3:28 min. audio at link)
Rare snake not seen in Vermont for 10 years slithers into spotlight
Vermont Public | By Howard Weiss-Tisman
Published June 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM EDT
Cindy Sprague/Courtesy
Luke Groff, a herpetologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, holds a black racer snake that was found in Guilford.
As far as wildlife biologists go, Molly Parren has had a pretty good run recently.
Parren, who was out tracking wood turtles last month in Addison County, took a photo that ultimately and surprisingly helped botanist Grace Glynn identify a rare plant that hadnt been seen in Vermont for a hundred years.
[...]
Luke Groff, a herpetologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, said the black racer is more common farther south. Its not on the threatened list in Massachusetts, but its a big part of his focus in southern Vermont.
So I try to get out here, Groff said. We have volunteers that check the site. Some of the land managers check the site. So, try to get out several times a year to look for the snake, but for the past 10 years we havent found it.
[...]