The pattern on younger snakes is brighter, but fades with age. The snake's habitat includes open woodlands, fields and abandoned buildings. The southern Ontario populations are very restricted and isolated. It has a short tail that is unicoloured or barely bicoloured and is slightly darker on top. Its soft, dense mole-like fur is mostly a chestnut brown tinged with black, although its underparts are gray mixed with some yellow or cinnamon.
Juveniles are dark gray tinged with chestnut.
The vole rarely appears above ground. Its preferred habitat includes woodlands, brushy habitats and forest edges, where it tunnels, nests and burrows in soft, sandy soil just beneath tree roots and leaf litter. It feeds on berries, nuts, bark and roots. Predators of the vole include short-tailed shrews, barn owls, hawks, gray foxes, opossums, mink and weasels, as well as domestic cats and dogs. The coeur d'Alene salamander is a relatively short and stocky species of salamander.