Minnesota Photographer Captures ‘White’ Rattlesnake In SE Minnesota

I belong to a Minnesota Naturalist page on Facebook, mostly to see what others have discovered in their backyards, while hiking, or simply enjoying the outdoors. The photographs that appear on the page are at times breathtakingly beautiful and sometimes they are brutally real with what people find out in nature in the #BoldNorth. One of those photos that instantly had me wanting more information about was a set of photographs taken by photographer Max Frederiksen of not one but TWO rattlesnakes in Southeastern Minnesota. One was almost white, not albino, in color, which made it look pretty awesome.

How cool is that lighter, almost white-looking rattlesnake? I would think the lighter of the two snakes would be the harder to spot snake out in the driftless area in Southeastern Minnesota where they are known to exist.

When asked about where Max had found the two snakes within the thread of the post, he wasn't giving up a location only that it was within the range in which rattlesnakes could be found in Southeastern Minnesota. I thought it was a good idea, not to say where these snakes were found and photographed as we shouldn't bother nature, it's cool enough to see the pictures.

According to the Minnesota DNR website, "Habitat destruction, road mortality, and collection for the pet trade are other factors in the species decline. In 1984, the timber rattlesnake has been designated as a special concern species in Minnesota, and in 1989 the bounty was repealed. Because of declining populations, the timber rattlesnake was reclassified as threatened in 1996."