Kate Marthens hoped to find a Florida Scrub-Jay nest one morning in mid-April while working at Archbold Biological Station. Instead, she came across an Eastern Indigo snake with a plastic zip tie cinched around her body. The snake evaded capture, but Archbold researchers kept hoping they would have another chance to aid this animal. That chance came three months later when Tori Bakley, Archbold Avian Ecology Research Assistant, visited the same scrub-jay territory and spotted the 6-foot Indigo. Bakley called in Dr. Betsie Rothermel, Archbold Herpetology Director, and Rachel Fedders, Archbold Herpetology Research Assistant. Together, they captured the non-venomous Indigo and removed the zip tie. Indigos range over large territories, so it was remarkable that researchers found her in the same location a second time. Kim Titterington of Swamp Girl Adventures Reptile Rehabilitation agreed to receive and treat the injured Indigo. Rothermel says, “Eastern Indigos are extirpated or declining from most of their range as urbanization reduces their upland habitats. Though the southern Lake Wales Ridge supports a healthy population, the future of this Federally Threatened species is uncertain given projections for human population growth and development.” After two months of expert care from Titterington, everyone enjoyed watching the stunning Indigo snake return to her home in Archbold’s Florida scrub in early September. Watch ‘Team Indigo’ to see the release and learn the whole story.