I concur that it is a hognose snake. They are not doing too well anymore (many ground nesting snakes are declining) so it's nice to see them!

One of the best ways to get over being afraid of snakes is to handle one. Contrary to what many people think, they are not slimy at all. They feel like patent leather, and are rather pleasant to hold. But not a wild one, fresh caught. Those can be nippy. Sometime when you are at a zoo or other animal exhibit where they have tame snakes about, you might ask if you can touch one and see if that helps with the squeamies. (I used to be a docent at the Central Florida Zoo, and one of my jobs was to walk around with either the indigo snake or a ball python and let people touch them.) Tom, the chances are very good that the BIRDS put the snakeskin in the nest box. They often use the shed skins in nest building. It seems to appeal to their "weaving" instinct, and I think they are opportunists who know a good, strong building material when they find one. Birds who really weave a tight nest will often have a snakeskin woven in and out all through the basket portion. If you have a snake baffle up, I'd bet money the bird collected the skin from elsewhere. As for your coral honeysuckle issue...yes, a snake COULD snatch a hummer out of the air, but the odds are in the favor of the hummingbird being too fast for them. And if it isn't fast enough to avoid getting caught, it is likely sick or old. Hummers build their tiny little nests way out on skinny little limbs, and disguise them by gluing lichens all over them. They have a better than average chance of avoiding predators, so they are usually safe. And for every bird our snakes eat, they probably eat DOZENS of mice & rats & other vermin. The advantages of having them in the garden outweigh the disadvantages, though I can't say they don't TRY for birds when they see them. Usually with all predator-prey relationships, there are way more food animals than there are hunters, and it all balances out. When WE stay out of it, that is. Mother Nature is good that way. Wiley, I get a "tighter breathing and zero at the bone" sensation when I spot snakes, too. It's one of the things I love most about them. They always give me the slightest shiver in that split second that my eye first registers what I'm seeing. Then that passes and I sit back to enjoy watching them. (You have to love the phrasing of that last line, don't you? It's always been a favorite verse of mine.) Marcia

Eastern Hognose? Heterodon platirhinos They are very variable in color ... but that flat, wide head and the flat piggy nose is characteristic. Did he hiss and flip over and play dead? they have an impressive act. Most snakes can swim. they might not do it much, but they'll do it. I linked to one of similar color from Wikipedia. Here is a link that might be useful:

Hello Mark - corn needs a lot of heat - I never have much luck with it in my garden although there is very good corn grown in this area. Everything else should do fine for you - pumpkins take a lot of water - I got tired of being enslaved as the water mule so I don`t grow them anymore but if you have young children, they are a must have!!! If your garden runs east/west, you could try planting your rows north/south so they don`t get shaded out. You will learn a lot your first season about what does well in your particular situation, what you will move around for next year and what else you might like to try. Good luck and happy gardening.