Prairie Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus arnyi), a Special Concern species, prefers to live in a variety of open or partially open canopy settings including bluff prairies, open rocky road cuts (usually southerly exposed), old fields with rocky structure at the surface or along railroad grades where access to underground retreats and overwintering habitat is suitable. These snakes are highly secretive, spending much of the day under flat rocks, pieces of bark or in and under larger downed woody debris. In the spring and fall, they usually remain in open-canopy conditions but move to more shaded and moister places as summer approaches. Prairie ring-necked snakes are active from April through early-October. They breed from mid-April through May, lay eggs in June, and eggs hatch in August.
