A snake with mysterious origins is growing longer by the day at the corner of Strawberry Field Road and Elmore Street. That’s were “Jake the Snake” is lounging.

Jake is made of dozens of painted rocks, with visitors making frequent stops to add more.

 “I think it’s kind of a cool community thing,” says Jessica Couto, who works at the Bank Newport across the street from Jake. Couto has watched as Jake has grown over the past week, and while the date of Jake’s first appearance remains unclear, her colleagues’ estimates point to June 21.

The Jake project got off to a rocky start (pun intended), with his head being stolen soon after he appeared, but it was quickly replaced, and Jake now shows no sign of slowing down. On June 26, Facebook user Diane Valeda counted 72 rocks; two days later, there were over 150 and counting, including three painted seashells. The painted designs range from simple single-color rocks to an American flag, a rainbow, and even a rock covered in stickers.

Although Jake’s origins were largely unknown to those who added rocks to his ever-growing tail, the Beacon was able to trace them to Scott and Jenna Lee Denton, a father-daughter duo who just “wanted to do something different” together.

 The Dentons live nearby, and Scott says there are “tons of kids in the neighborhood,” which is why they picked the location.

Jake has gained particular traction in Warwick’s vibrant online rock painting community. “Warwick Rocks!”, a Facebook group dedicated to hiding painted rocks around the city for others to find, is filled with posts about Jake, and similar “rock snake” projects have been posted about in the past. The Dentons’ snake seems to be the first in Warwick, however. Now Denton, who has heard of the group but is not part of it himself, is inspiring rock-painting enthusiasts across Warwick. Kelly Malaguti, a member of Warwick Rocks, wrote that she and her son “would love to start one in our neighborhood too as [Jake’s] friend or cousin… maybe we can get a bunch of friends for [Jake] and eventually have them meet!” Other users echoed the idea.

Paying Jake a visit on Wednesday, the Beacon placed a rock of its own, 159 down the line. Meanwhile, a family came across the street to admire Jake.

Time will tell how long Jake will stay at Strawberry Field and Elmore, but one thing is certain: Jake has brought joy and inspiration to his community, exactly as intended.