Its ground color varies across its geographic range, but is generally yellow to tan with variable amounts of black stippling (Connant 1975). With its long fangs, it’s able to introduce large amounts of potent venom per bite. Laboratory and field evidence suggest that the venom from individuals originating from certain populations in the South contain larger fractions of neurotoxic peptides than their northern counterparts (Tennant, 1998). Their preferred habitat varies across their range, and includes upland deciduous forests, rocky ridges, riparian corridors, cypress swamps, cane reed thickets and wet prairie regions.