Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last April, I managed to find my first live corn from the NC foothills. Records are scattered in NC when you get west of the sandhills, and habitat utilized in the foothills is poorly known. I found a DOR in 2003 in the area, but in several trips back, I was never able to turn up a live specimen. Needless to say, finding this male last spring was my biggest herping moment of 2010...

with the help of my good friend Dave, a good amount of research in the off season and a day of hard work, we may have completed the pair yesterday...still have to probe her to be sure and decided to wait a day because she had a huge meal in her when found, but this looks promising...

Eight years, hours of study, hundreds of dollars in gas driving back and forth to this specific "pocket" of habitat, years of stopping and talking to local folks to gather info and it looks like I may finally have my breeding pair of South Mountains Corn Snakes!!! They are unique with a distinct gray background with red saddles and tons of black in the borders. Beautiful snakes!

Thanks for looking!
Michael

They are great looking, Michael. Congrats on the new project. I lived in N.C. for 3 years and never found a corn.

--Dennis

to find a corn. They are not found statewide as the field guides will lead you to believe. Maybe they were 100 year ago, but they have pretty much disappeared from the piedmont. There are a few specific locales where they are common in the eastern part of the state and a few pockets in the west where they can still be found. Fascinating to me as to why I find them in one spot but not in another that presents almost identical habitat. I have enjoyed the variety of colors that I find from one end of the state to the other in corns. Definitely keep me coming back for more!

Thanks,
Michael

That is awesome stuff Michael!. I hope the last one found turns out to be the female you need. It's very interesting how "miami-ish" that particular locale(at least those two) seems to be as well.

Best of luck man!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

Thanks Doug. Dave and I didn't want to mess with her too much yesterday because she had obviously just eaten a huge meal. She appears female, but I'm saving the pure elation for after we probe her...

They do look a lot like big Miami phase corns. Different from the sandhills, Uwharrie, and coastal NC corns I have seen.

Thanks,
Michael

That's a nice lookin' corn!Looks like the Charlotte County natives found here in Va.I've been tossing around the idea of hunting for a pr. of locals myself!Seeing your pics makes me miss the ones I've had in the past,good luck with your project! Jeff

If you decide to set out to search for the Charlotte Co, VA Corns and want a partner in the field, shoot me an email. Also, let me know when you land a pair!

Thanks,
Michael

Good luck with your project. I think I remeber the male from last year when you found it? Didn't you post him then? He definately has a very unique look to him, more so than the female, but hopefully you have the pair!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Yeah, I posted the male last April when I found him. I had found an original dor back in 2002 or 2003 (records got lost when my usb got stolen at school last year)...searched the area since but didn't turn up another corn til last year.

I really like the look from this locale, especially all the black on the male.

Thanks,
Michael

Congrats from a native Tar Heel. I have a Polk Co., Tenn. corn that resembles those with the "Miamish" look. I hope you have success with your project. Must admit I admire your persistance.

Interesting just how much that snake looks like the ones I caught. Polk, TN looks like it's a lower elevation than where I found mine in NC? There appears to be a small hilly area near Polk...maybe that explains it. Really cool stuff. Thanks for sharing. I am truely fascinated with the way the colors of the corns change based on habitat. From one end of NC to the other, there are pretty significant differences.

Thanks,
Michael

Good job collecting a pair!

My uncle has seen them around Asheville, but I'm not sure how common they are in that area.

I would love to see what they look like from Buncombe Co. See if you can get some photos...I am betting on a darker snake from that elevation...

Thanks!
Michael

Sorry for the late response, I don't check this forum as often as I do the others.

He described the corns he saw as being yellowish. He's not a herper per se but he is an outdoorsman and knows his snakes. I'll have to ask him to take photos of any corn snakes he sees.

Gave her a week to settle in and just probed her. Confirmed that I have a pair of NC foothills corns collected along the same road just a couple miles apart!!! I'm celebrating now!

Will keep you guys posted if there is any breeding success this spring.

Thanks,
Michael

Congratulations!I'm happy for ya'! Your post makes me want to look for some local corns! Good Luck and take care!
Jeff

That's awesome man!

Congratulations on finally getting a locality specific pair from that area!..

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

I also managed to get back a locality pair of Richmond Co corns today that I caught last April and gave to a friend of mine at the local university last fall. I found them last April about 20 yards from each other on a herp trip with my wife and son.

Stoked to have locality pairs from the foothills and sandhills now that I caught myself...will post pics once they both shed.

In the meantime, here is a pic of one of the Richmond Co corns taken last year...

Thanks!
Michael

That is great that you also have that other locality pair that you captured yourself so close to each other. Can't beat a locality captured THAT close to one another, that's for sure!..

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties