The eastern hognose is most common in and along the margins of fallow and cultivated fields, and in or near forests, especially in dry, relatively open areas where sands or porous loams are the principle soils. Easterns are more likely to be found in drier environments and avoid swampy or marshy areas. Inasmuch as toads are the primary food item, eastern hognoses may be most likely to found in areas where toads frequent, especially loose soils where they burrow. While eastern hognoses are considered fossorial, they are usually found abroad during the morning and afternoon hours, foraging for food.
Coloration is highly variable.
The dorsum is may be brown, tan, yellowish, grayish, or reddish with brown, black or reddish blotches and tail bands. Some adult easterns may be black or grayish in coloration with little or no patterning. Melanism appears with age, juveniles showing typical patterns until about 300 mm or more in length. There are also reddish, yellowish, and albinistic morphs. Some of the most beautiful morphs are from Richmond, Virginia and Austin, Texas.