Virginia valeriae
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The smooth earth snake (Virginia valeriae) is a species of nonvenomous natricine colubrid snake native to the eastern half of the United States. The specific name or epithet, valeriae, is in honor of Valeria Biddle Blaney (1828–1900), who collected the first specimen in Kent County, Maryland, and was a first cousin of Spencer Fullerton Baird.
The smooth earth snake is found from Texas and Iowa to New Jersey and Florida. The following is a description of the scalation of Virginia valeriae. Rostral nearly as deep as broad, visible from above; internasals much shorter than the prefrontals; frontal longer than broad, shorter than the parietals; loreal one and a half to two and a half times as long as deep; two or three postoculars; temporals 1+2; six upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye; four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, which are as long as or shorter than the posterior. Dorsal scales in 15 or 17 rows. Anal divided. Ventrals 111–135; subcaudals 24–37.
The following description of coloration of a live specimen (not in alcohol) uses Robert Ridgway's Color Standards and Color Nomenclature (1912... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth Earthsnake sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–June and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth Earthsnake in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Smooth Earthsnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in our data
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Smooth Earthsnake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Smooth Earthsnake that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Common Watersnake (about 50%), Eastern/Central Ratsnake Complex (about 40%) and Common Garter Snake (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smooth Earthsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
