I found this New Mexico Milksnake, Lampropeltis triangulum celaenops, crossing a 5 lane highway in the middle of a dust storm, with temps in the low 50’s. Wow! That was the last thing I expected to find … and boy was I happy. My first milksnake, and it’s a good one. This fella came home with me.
Dust storms: New Mexico does them right. My first night there, winds were over 50 mph and dust stung my eyes … I still found snakes though.
Tags: carlsbad, celaenops, lampropeltis, new mexico milksnake, triangulum
What a beauty! We have one of those in captivity where I work – he’s great to use in herpetology classes to discuss warning coloration and mimicry.
Oh ya, it’s really a good looking snake! Orange on the top and almost a green on the bottom. He’s pretty, but mean as hell, haha.