The Eastern indigo snake, Drymarchon couperi, is not only magnificently beautiful but also non-venomous, non-aggressive towards humans, and federally listed as a threatened species. Despite this protection status, the numbers of Eastern indigos are decreasing. In 2015, I had the extraordinary opportunity to volunteer with the Orianne Society https://www.oriannesociety.org/,  a non-profit dedicated the amphibian and reptile conservation, in their annual Indigo Days surveillance count.

Most people present had been on several of these indigo days counts, but I was a newbie. We broke into groups and were given transect assignments with the instructions that if we saw an indigo, jump on it, gently hold it still, and shout out for help. Um, OK. These snakes are up to nine feet long and thicker around than my arm, but um, OK. Of course, the first indigo I saw I froze, but someone else gleefully jumped and pinned him down. Over the course of the day, we captured several indigos who all gently submitted to measurements, "wanding" to detect prior tagging, and if no tag, the insertion of a radio-tag. I was impressed by how gentle and calm these creatures were, and happily posed with one that displayed incredible structural color in the sunlight

Once released, the indigo sped back to his underground burrow, which is often shared with gopher tortoise, though we did not verify roommate status with this particular one. Another snake was faster than we and was halfway down his burrow before someone grabbed him by the latter 1/2 of his body. We were cautioned that trying to extricate the snake from the burrow could injure him, so reluctantly we let him go. But, never fear, gone from our hands but not from our observations! The Orianne Society trip leaders had brought a long scope with a video monitor so we could see him curled up deep inside his lair. If you are interested in seeing an indigo yourself, and maybe holding, measuring, and tagging one, log onto https://www.oriannesociety.org/ join the Orianne Society (only $30, a contribution to a good conservation cause), and watch for announcements of the next Indigo Days!