Alamo • Danville • Blackhawk • Diablo • San Ramon
VALLEY
Find out what’s new in the Valley at
THE
SENTINEL
www.valleysentinel.com
Arts • Activities • Auto • Business • Gardening • Seniors and more...
always for the community VOL 24 NO 1/2
January/February 2019
www.valleysentinel.com
SPOTLIGHT
Jim Schuppert Named Alamo Rotarian of the Year James Schuppert has been named the Alamo Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Alamo. The award was presented to Jim by the Rotary Club of Alamo President Jack Thompson, at the Club’s annual Holiday Party, for his outstanding contributions to the Club. “With this honor, the Rotary Club of Alamo is recognizing someone who best exemplifies the goals of Rotary through his or her consistent contributions, and in doing so has brought honor and respect to the Club,” Mr. Thompson said. See ROTARIAN Join thousands of hikers on your own quest to complete 5 trails before December 1 this year. The Trails Challenge,
ECRWSS
Postmaster: Dated Material
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DANVILLE, CA PERMIT NO. 70
page 5 sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, is in its 27th year and participation is free. You can get your guidebook, a commemorative pin and T-Shirt just by enjoying nature and discovering the miles of beautiful trails in the east Bay Regional Parks. See article on page 11. Photo by Michael Short
Ring-necked Snake By James M. Hale
The Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus) is a harmless, secretive snake with one of the largest geographic ranges of any snake in North America. It is widely distributed, and believed to be fairly abundant throughout much of the United States, southeastern Canada, and central Mexico in virtually any habitat. The Ring-necked Snake prefers moist habitats with moist soil conditions though, such as woodlands, riparian zones, forests, and wetland edges. It is rarely seen due to its nocturnal behavior and habit of spending most of its time underground, or hidden under logs, rocks, leaf litter, and debris. Ring-necked Snakes are not found above an elevation of 7,200 feet. The genus Diadophis derives from the Greek word diadem, meaning headband, referring to the red-ringed neck band, and ophios meaning
serpent. The species epithet punctatus means perforated or punctured, referring to the black, belly-margin accent marks. I commonly encountered Ring-necked Snakes growing up in Lafayette and Walnut Creek, and during my field research throughout Contra Costa County and the western United States in desirable habitats. It’s not uncommon for some populations to have large colonies of more than one hundred individuals. One study in Kansas estimated Ringnecked Snake densities could be as high as 700 to 1,800 snakes per hectare (2.47 acres) in some areas. Fourteen subspecies are currently recognized based on morphology. Ring-necked Snakes are a solid bluish-gray to smoky
black, olive, or brown above, highlighted by a distinct orange, yellow, or red neck band. The belly is a striking, vibrant, yellow, orange, to red coloration, accented with crescent-shaped black spots along the margin. Variations occur throughout their range. Our local individuals are a beautiful slate bluish-gray above, with a distinct reddishorange neck band and belly. Ring-necked Snakes are best known for their unique defensive posture of curling up their tails, and exposing their bright redorange posterior, ventral surface when threatened. This classic warning coloration is known as aposematism. They produce and exude a pungent, musk to remind their intruders not to attack in the future. Ring-necked Snakes have smooth scales. Males have small tubercles,
This Month’s Special Section: Sentinel Newspapers, Inc. P.O. Box 130 Danville, CA 94526 925-820-6047
Senior Living
pages 8–10
which are vestigial limbs, just anterior to the vent. Adults measure nine to thirty inches in length, depending upon the subspecies. However, adults are usually less than fifteen inches in total length. First year juveniles are about eight inches long, and grow about one to two inches a year. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at three years of age. Ring-necked Snakes may live for twenty years in the wild. Ring-necked Snakes have rear-fangs and are slightly See SNAKE page 5