Hi martha,
I'm glad you didn't just rush out and kill it. Snakes are important in the ecosystem. But I understand your concern about it maybe being poisonous. Here's a link to a site with the snakes of south carolina. Hopefully it will be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: snakes of south carolina

I checked out your page and it said that you're in the Spartanburg area - I used to live in the area, myself. While I can tell you that cottonmouths(Agkistrodon piscivorous) are NOT in the area.

Based on your description, it is difficult to say what this snake could be, since it is small and most snakes are more vividly colored when young (quite dramatically so, in many cases)

If you could get a photograph that would be immensely helpful. Lastly, thanks for leaving the snake alone, its nice to hear of people who appreciate all organisms that share our yards, including the not-so-cuddly ones!

~Mike

Thanks for the information. I need to get a better look and will try to get a photo. I have not seen him again this am.

Catherine,

Thanks for the link. I have now identified the two snakes that I see around my pond. I've been wondering what they are. The one on the left is an Eastern Garter Snake and the one on the right is an Eastern Ribbon Snake.

{{gwi:178144}}

Anne

Martha,

By your description your snake sounds like a Midland Water Snake. They are harmless. It could also be a Banded Water Snake but location would suggest Midland Water Snake.

I've often seen copperheads near water, so I would be very careful until positive identification can be made.

A copperhead differs from a water-snake in that the copperhead has a wider head. The poison sacs on each side make the head wider and similar to the shape of a spade shovel. Also, a copperhead's eyes will be similar to those of a cat while a water-snake will have round pupils.

A few years ago I went on a river canoe trip that ended at a reservoir. I was standing knee deep in water as we were floating the canoes onto a trailer when a snake swam between my legs. As I turn around I saw the spade head of the copperhead. The shore was filled with tadpoles and frogs, so I think it was feeding on them. Copperheads can be aggressive and I hope I never get that close to one again.

I am in upstate SC, too. It may have been a Milk snake. I have included a link to a photo of one. Quite a few of the snakes in the link are only in the coastal areas so that would rule them out.

We have lots of non-poisonous snakes. Most of the water snakes in our area are non-poisonous. Cotton mouths / Water Moccasins are more commonly found from Columbia SC and south.

The copperhead is the most common poisonous snake in our area. There are lots of copperheads on our property.

My husband was shutting off the faucet the other day. Below the faucet was a rolled up black soaker hose. He stepped on the hose and out slithered a black racer snake. It was about 4 feet long. They both scared each other LOL! We think the black racer thought the black hose was another snake.

Here is a link that might be useful: Snakes of SC and GA

I dont know if this will help...but last year i had the same problem. I FREAKED because I didnt want to always be looking for the snake when I went near my pond. I posted a similar thread and got lots of different ideas on how to get rid of him (w/o killing him of course). To my surprise he left on his own. The only thing I can say is that I made a lot of noise around my pond for several days. I had used my pond vac and dipped leaves out with my net, etc. So looking back, I think my pond just wasn't peaceful enough for him to stay. So...MAKE SOME NOISE...lol

Few things here:

Wayne-
In the Spartanburg area, you have intergrade midlandxnorthern watersnakes - although based on personal experience they appear to be much more northern in appearance and lack the brighter coloration of midlands. N. fasciata are not found in the piedmont.

Anne -
Both of those snakes in the photograph you showed are actually Eastern Gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) - though the one one the right has more vivid stripes, it is just exhibiting some of the extreme pattern variability that gartersnakes have. Ribbon snakes are much thinner, the stripes are more bold and they lack the extra lateral mottling that you can clearly see in the photograph.

John (PA) -
Its pretty likely that the snake you had swim between your legs was a Nerodia (Watersnake). The behavior and everything you described add up to Nerodia. I have never heard of copperheads feeding in the manner you described but it is typical of watersnakes. Large watersnakes often have pretty wide heads that you describe as "spade-like"

1sst -
I was thinking milk snake as well. I saw a good number of these when I lived in Greenville and they do occasionally venture near ponds. I ran into several juveniles while out on frog walks in the middle of the night during spring rains.

A few possibilities (non-exclusive) based on color mainly, since most snakes will enter or go near water during times of heat/drought which is being experienced in SC right now:

milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)
corn snake (Pantherophis guttata)
eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos)

Martha, I think the bottom line is that you have to assume the snake can be poisonous until it is positively identified. Copperheads vary greatly in their color as do many other snakes.

Lsst, those black racers are the most aggressive snake I've every seen. I came across one on a hiking trail and it started to more towards me. I guess it thought I wanted to corner it, but I ended up retreating down the trail and took a different path out LOL.

Mike, I'm very familiar with the snakes here in Pennsylvania and I know a copperhead when I see one. The snake that swam between my legs had elliptical pupils and the only snakes here that have cat's eyes are copperheads and timber rattlesnakes.

I ran over a rattler with my mountain bike, so I have some close up experience with them as well. I certainly didn't want to do that either, but the trail was covered with leaves and I didn't see the snake until it was too late. I still feel bad about it.

John -
Can't disagree with your post - assume the snake is venomous (mushrooms, plants, and frogs are poisonous, snakes and spiders are venomous) and leave it be.

I still am skeptical. However, I wasn't there to see it, so I can't say it wasn't - but I have long since learned that its pointless to debate with a person about a snake they saw...(can't tell you how many people I have told me about all the "cottonmouths" they see in Ohio...).

~Mike

Mike,

Thanks for the info on the garter snakes. The ribbony one lives in the rocks around the pond. I haven't seen the other one since I took the picture in the spring.

Anne

Anne -
No problem. Ribbon snakes can be very easily confused with their closely related garter snake cousins. Ribbons generally are more vividly marked and are much thinner and longer - when you spend time looking at lots of boldly marked gartersnakes wondering "is this a ribbon snake?" only to finally come upon a ribbon snake, you'll just smack yourself on the forehead (at least thats what I did when I was younger..) Here's a shot of a ribbon snake ...
~Mike

{{gwi:218569}}

Based on the lack of a photo and Martha's description.

"The snake is bright orange and black. He is small with marks similar to a copperhead, although I have never seen one this brightly colored."

I think it would be impossible to identify the snake she saw. It's always best to side with caution.

Mike, I think you've got to stay away from those mushrooms.

I believe he is a northern water snake. We were able to get a better look at his head. It is not triangular in shape. He also spends (I think) most of his time in water. We have a lot of tadpoles and small goldfish.
I did get a picture but I am having problems downloading it (new camera).
Thanks for all the information. It has helped me make a correct id. I hope. Martha

JohnKR -
Since you obviously didn't read my first post, as I said it would be difficult to give a positive ID on the animal, and I finally broke down and gave some options as to species that it could be, as giving people possibilities as to what an animal could be allows them to look at photographs and help them decide what the animal they have is (or isn't). Its all part of the learning process...

Not going to dignify your "mushrooms" comment with a response, as you seem to have a problem with people disagreeing with or educating you...

~Mike

Mike, I was making a general statement in my last post. Some posters were offering Martha suggestions as to the species of the snake and I basically said it could not be identified from the information provided.

I relayed an experience to support the fact that copperheads DO exist in and around water and warned Martha to be careful as there was a possibility the snake could be a copperhead. Copperheads do eat frogs and frogs are usually fond in water.

Then you proceed to inform me that the snake I seen was probably a water snake and you were skeptical. I fail to see how your disagreement with my experience has anything to do with a warning to assume a snake can be poisonous unless identified. How has your attack on my post helped Martha identify the snake in her pond?

It's my opinion that questioning advice given on this form leads to a better understanding by all, but I think you should explain why you think the advice is incorrect. I try to respond based on my own experience as there's a lot of misinformation represented as facts.

I am an educator and I value knowledge. So what are you trying to convey and how did I disagree? It was you who disagreed about something I know to be true and your response was not educational as to the subject of this thread.

Martha,

Thank you for the update!

John,

I think I deserve some of the blame for making identification judgements based on limited information, but I've had a lot of experience with snakes and even more experience with people's descriptions of snakes and working with them that I feel pretty confident in rendering judgements with qualifying statements like "it sounds like" and "I think it is." Your point that it is always good to err on the side of caution is, of course, well taken.

Mike,

Thanks for checking the specifics on range. I apparently had the species right but didn't check on the subspecies or intergrades. Also you are correct that the two garter snakes are a great example of the diversity of pattern within a species (they are both garters rather than a garter and a ribbon and I had thought of posting an almost identical post to yours on that point..I chose not to because it wasn't the OP's question, but I was tempted) :-).

I think everyone has contributed good information and advice to this thread so we can all move on as friends..and Martha if you do get a picture feel free to post it here or feel free to email it to me for an id.