This beautifully bright green snake is a master of disguise. Although they are fairly long (can be up to 81 cm) it is almost impossible to notice them unless you have been curiously scanning the vegetation with a purpose. The Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) is behaviorally very docile. It must be a slow day for this particular individual since s/he was frequently yawning. The observation was recorded on 9th of September 2012 at the Georgia State Botanical Garden in Athens. GA, USA. S/he was hunting among the passiflora vine (Passiflora incarnata) native to southeastern US very close to the bank of the Ocoee river. This snake is well adapted to use vegetation to support its movements. The snake is arboreal throughout much of the summer but in spring and fall it comes down from the trees to hunt in low vegetation.
These snakes breed in the spring or fall. They typically lay 3–12 eggs during the summer. Females exhibit a behavior called communal hibernaculum that is several females may lay eggs together in one spot, frequently inside rotting logs. Old rotten tree falls or logs provide critical habitat for most reptiles. Suitable egg laying spots may be a limiting factor for most snakes therefore even different species can share the same hibernaculum. For instance two herpetologists George and Robert Tregembo, reported a communal hibernaculum that had 2 scarlet snakes, 2 eastern hognose snakes, 2 juvenile black racers, a rough green snake, and a glass lizard in the same hollowed out tree.
The IUCN conservation status of this snake is reported as least concern but pet trading is a growing threat for their natural populations.
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