Well...I appreciate all your responses, and I'm going to assume it's a common garter snake...for my OWN peace of mind...LOL I believe he was so grumpy because of the flash from the camera...it probably scared the bejeezus out of'm. Plus...I'm wondering if it isn't the onset of hibernation time. I mean, afterall, he WAS way down under some pretty hard, clay covered by about 4" of mulch. He was probably sleeping...or getting his last full meal of night crawlers when I uncovered him. *I'm in SE PA, not Florida at the moment. He's gone now and I don't know where...hehehe...but I covered the hole back up with the mulch. BTW: When I let Picture it! automatically tweak the color and brightness levels, the colors of the snake were changed a bit. Here are two pics showing actual color...

a crushed leaf... for a brief second or two.. might smell like rootbeer but sometimes not ... but all 3 will smell the same.. if the same.. rootbeer or not... ken

What had me so confused it that the leaves of Sherwood Blue Woodland Phlox change shape and texture. They went from the low growing thick leaves to thin and hairy leaves...total change in appearance. I found this info below to confirm what was confusing me on this ID. It may be of interest to other gardeners: "Yes, the leaves of 'Sherwood Blue' Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata) change in both appearance and, to some extent, texture throughout the growing season, primarily due to the plant's production of two different types of shoots. Later in the season, the plant leaves behind a lower-growing, carpet-like mat of infertile (non-flowering) shoots. The leaves on these shoots are generally wider, have more rounded tips, and are less hairy than the initial spring leaves." - source AI google question

Hi David 👋 Thank you for the id. I have been reading a lot and I guessed that my first photo was a pubicalyx, I'm happy for the confirmation. Could the second one be cummingiana? I have picked up a few more, photos below. Krimson queen? Krimson princess? I could use an id for this last one. I've found similar photos that are labeled finlaysonii and clemensiorum, but I'm not sure which (if either) precisely match mine. Any thoughts? Thank you again, it's a pleasure 'meeting' you 🤗