we love them. haven't found any coppers, and would be cautious if we did, but most other snakes get handled if i have gloves on. i've rescued 2 snakes out of our pond netting- one this spring, who reall yhad itself tangled good. it was so calm and let me ease it and cut it loose. 'course, i don't know how smart it was, b/c it got itself tangled back up pretty quick, while i was still easing out the backside. i escorted him to the backyard, since he was a hognosed snake, and had been after our frogs. i will run off big water snakes, b/c i don't want them after our fish, but i don't kill them. we back up to lake easement(read swamp), so we get a good many various snakes over a yr's time. trying to convince our neighbors to call me next time he finds a big one instead of chopping its head off. we celebrate when we find worm snakes- means our soil's doing great! we even kept 2 rough green snakes in our terrarium with the anoles & skinks for a summer. they were the biggest pigs! they were like moving sculptures, though- very entertaining. the thing i found most fascinating, is being solitary creatures, you wouldn't think they'd enjoy each other's company, but the opposte was true. they stayed close to each other and slept all balled into a green mass. they'd fattened up so we let them go in fall knowing they were in good shape for winter. they stayed in the tree i put them in for more than a day- no doubt hoping i'd offer some tasty crickets. the llizards were nervous of them when we first introduced them, but within a couple days they ignored them. we realeased everything last year- got to be too much trouble. it was fun and taught us a lot, though. tam

That's a coachwhip snake. Harmless and beneficial. They are fascinating snakes to have as a neighborhood resident. They are super speedy, even climbing trees in a flash. Try not to corner one, and don't handle unless you know how. They will defend themselves fearlessly. I know that they are protected in Alabama (my state) but don't about other locations. If you'd let us know where you live, we could let you know what kind of poisonous snakes might be hanging out.

It isn't an ideal field guide specimen, but it is a Florida Banded Water Snake nonetheless. The stripe behind the eye is not very clear, but the markings on the chin are classic water snake too. Frogpatch is right about some of the upper body bands being broken (or at least they look to be in the picture from what I can tell). The partially broken bands might in fact be very mildly aberrant for a Florida Banded Water Snake. These are the kinds of real world snakes that make identifying snakes fun. I'm certain it is indeed a Florida Banded Water Snake, however.

I have to side with the others on here, your bf does not seem worth your committment. Marriage is a HUGE committment and should not be used as a tool to fix a broken relationship. I know that right now you have a baby and are not quite finished with college and it seems so hard to leave. But, for you and your daughter you should go. I say this from experience, being in a similar situation when I was only 19 and mother to a 4 month old baby. I was scared to leave my ex, who treated me like crap. I was worried about how I would support our son on my own. For a while I thought it would be better to stay because of my son. Then I realized that a miserable mom was not good for a child. So, when I finally hit my breaking point with my ex I left. I had to move in with family and work full-time while going to college full-time and raising a baby. It was a struggle. But, it paid off. I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I left. Sure, I had nights when I cried myself to sleep. But, when I saw his next gf as miserable as I had been I realized I had made the right choice. He would never change. For the next few years I focused on me and my son, got my life on track, and regained my self-esteem. I decided that I deserved much more than I had in my ex. I dated around for years, picking apart each man I dated to my friends. They often joked that I would be an old spinster. I almost thought I would be, then I met the man of my dreams. The way he treated me and the way I instantly felt around him was wonderful! This is what I deserved. Years later we married and are very happy. I have thought back many times to how horrible my life would have been if I had not made the decision to leave my ex. You deserve so much more than this guy is giving you. Please do not settle for this. Your almost done with school and have so much life in front of you-do not waste it You do not want to look back when your 35 and say "I should have left back then!"