any of several species belonging to the family Colubridae, named for their colour. The North American green snakes are the two species of the genus Opheodrys. These docile, slender, harmless snakes often live in gardens. They lay eggs, and they subsist on insects and spiders. The smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis), sometimes called green grass snake, is about 50 cm (20 inches) long. The rough, or keeled (ridged), green snake (O. aestivus), often called vine snake, is about 75 cm (23 inches) long.