Found this little buddy at my feet this morning when I opened my shop door.

[SharpsNitro]

I average a diamondback a year at my place, mostly on the front walk or porch. Last year I had my first one on the patio out back. Showed up when it was almost dark. Let the dog out to do his business and looked back and is was cooped up and pissed off five feet from the door. The dog ran over it before he knew it was there. Dog didn’t get struck and kept away from it like he was trained to do.

 

[lash]

Not a coral snake in the OP’s picture. Likely a corn snake of some sort.

Or a milk snake:

Or even Texas scarlet snake:

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

The picture does not show the yellow of the bands. For reasons, i can’t explain the picture shows the bands to be very white when in real like they were quite yellow.

 

[BurtG]

I'm not a herpetologist though).

Where’s @Bigfatcock if he ain’t one he’s prolly gonna be

 

[RUTGERS95]

True, but remember, the saying applies only to the North American Coral Snake (i.e. "Red" touching "Yellow"). There are other venomous coral snakes that do not share that pattern, including (but not limited to):

1) Aquatic Coral Snake:

2) Blue Malayan Coral Snake:

3) Australian Coral Snake:

Etc. Etc.

they are actually quite beautiful which is ironic

 

[vh20]

I have a reaallly long black racer around here I call Slim. He likes to surprise me in the shop sometimes. He will cruise through the garden or across the pasture with his head about 10” off the ground freaks the wife out.

Same here. About 6 ft. I’ve only seen him once when I ran him out from underneath the fig tree with the mower and he went right underneath the tin into the shop. He’s already molted twice this year, one skin I found outside between the fig tree and the shop, the other I found this afternoon right after reading your post, prompting my reply.

 

[BurtG]

View attachment 8164514View attachment 8164515

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

The Black Rat Snake is welcome around my place. Especially in my barn. In 2013 I built a barn 60×176×18 tall door clearance with 5 different sliding door entrances. We have had horrible infestation of sparrows since. They shit on everything. They drug in grass by the bucketfulls. They would chatter and fight. They were a real problem. Finally this spring a Black Rat Snake showed up and I let him have free reign. Within a short time all of my sparrow problems dissappeared.

 

[FWoo45]

View attachment 8164661

 

[lash]

The Black Rat Snake is welcome around my place. Especially in my barn. In 2013 I built a barn 60×176×18 tall door clearance with 5 different sliding door entrances. We have had horrible infestation of sparrows since. They shit on everything. They drug in grass by the bucketfulls. They would chatter and fight. They were a real problem. Finally this spring a Black Rat Snake showed up and I let him have free rein. Within a short time all of my sparrow problems dissappeared.

I have a couple around my house. Yes, they can startle you if you pick up a bunch of branches and a 4 footer launches out from the bundle, but they keep the rodents at bay and also other snakes, such as rattlers. Black rat snakes are very territorial and it helps.

Those that kill them do not know what they do.

 

[Jabberjaw]

View attachment 8164661

They hate it so much.

 

[Foul Mike]

I have a reaallly long black racer around here I call Slim. He likes to surprise me in the shop sometimes. He will cruise through the garden or across the pasture with his head about 10” off the ground freaks the wife out.

I have a Scarlet King Snake around here, only seen it once as they are mostly a night hunter.

We have Timber Rattlesnakes here but I’ve never seen one on my land. Guy close by has though and I think about it when walking in the woods.

A beautiful Copperhead bit my dog a few years ago. He didn’t survive but I’m 99% live and let live. I was mad and shoulda rehomed him.

Southern and Northern Black Widows, huge Carolina Wolf Spiders, fat fence lizards and Skinks and salamanders….. Bears, Coons and Opossums who like to investigate the trash….


View attachment 8164360View attachment 8164361View attachment 8164362View attachment 8164363View attachment 8164364View attachment 8164365View attachment 8164366

Did the dog make it?

 

[Fx51LP308]

I have a reaallly long black racer around here I call Slim. He likes to surprise me in the shop sometimes. He will cruise through the garden or across the pasture with his head about 10” off the ground freaks the wife out.

I have a Scarlet King Snake around here, only seen it once as they are mostly a night hunter.

We have Timber Rattlesnakes here but I’ve never seen one on my land. Guy close by has though and I think about it when walking in the woods.

A beautiful Copperhead bit my dog a few years ago. He didn’t survive but I’m 99% live and let live. I was mad and shoulda rehomed him.

Southern and Northern Black Widows, huge Carolina Wolf Spiders, fat fence lizards and Skinks and salamanders….. Bears, Coons and Opossums who like to investigate the trash….


View attachment 8164360View attachment 8164361View attachment 8164362View attachment 8164363View attachment 8164364View attachment 8164365View attachment 8164366

There's a shallow dry river bed about 100ft away from my back yard (I live in a cul-de-sac). Well, normally dry. In the summertime, when there are daily "thunderbumpers" and increased Hurricane potential, that bed isn't dry at all. It can crest to within 20-30 ft. of the 2ft. retaining wall around my back yard.

Point being, I must always BOLO the aquatic oriented species and, especially, the "cottonmouth." As much as I want to conserve any/all animal species and let them live/coexist, sorry, but ALL COTTONMOUTHS MUST BE DISPATCHED ON SITE!!!!!

 

[vh20]

There's a shallow dry river bed about 100ft away from my back yard (I live in a cul-de-sac). Well, normally dry. In the summertime, when there are daily "thunderbumpers" and increased Hurricane potential, that bed isn't dry at all. It can crest to within 20-30 ft. of the 2ft. retaining wall around my back yard.

Point being, I must always BOLO the aquatic oriented species and, especially, the "cottonmouth." As much as I want to conserve any/all animal species and let them live/coexist, sorry, but ALL COTTONMOUTHS MUST BE DISPATCHED ON SITE!!!!!

Agreed. They are evil. It is the only snake I will kill every time I have a chance. If they were a cash crop on my farm, I could get rich - two creeks, and all bottom land. They're everywhere.

 

[Sum Ting Wong]

I’ve found a few Speckled Kingsnakes in the yard. Good to have around, as they’ll eat a Copperhead.

 

[Cardboard55]

 

[748rpilot]

Agreed. They are evil. It is the only snake I will kill every time I have a chance. If they were a cash crop on my farm, I could get rich - two creeks, and all bottom land. They're everywhere.

Sounds like you've got a bountiful harvest of belts and boots.

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

There's a shallow dry river bed about 100ft away from my back yard (I live in a cul-de-sac). Well, normally dry. In the summertime, when there are daily "thunderbumpers" and increased Hurricane potential, that bed isn't dry at all. It can crest to within 20-30 ft. of the 2ft. retaining wall around my back yard.

Point being, I must always BOLO the aquatic oriented species and, especially, the "cottonmouth." As much as I want to conserve any/all animal species and let them live/coexist, sorry, but ALL COTTONMOUTHS MUST BE DISPATCHED ON SITE!!!!!

Man the water moccasins act like they're possessed or something sometimes. The rattlers Ive come across were generally strictly defense.

 

[vh20]

Man the water moccasins act like they're possessed or something sometimes. The rattlers Ive come across were generally strictly defense.

Yep