They are really active right now at our place, too. Every year a pair of Carolina wrens make a nest in an old decorative watering can that I hung on a trellis just past our front porch. I had noticed the bird was sitting on her eggs just about 4 days ago. Well, we were relaxing after yard-work on Saturday on the porch. I noticed a lizard ran very quickly almost under my chair and up the wall and even commented, "there must be a snake around somewhere", happened to look and there was a black snake's head sticking out of the watering can. I exclaimed "there's a snake in the bird's nest", my husband went over and dumped it out, couldn't believe the size of this thing that was all wadded up inside this really small space. Anyway, no sign of the brooding bird since so I'm afraid the whole family has been wiped out.

I have been doing some extra reading on the crowned snakes, and now think I may have been too quick in saying it was the "southeastern" crowned snake. There are three species of crowned snakes found in Florida and 3 subspecies of one of them. The differences are tiny and, to me, a bit confusing. So I'm waiting for an expert to show up here and let us know which one they think this is (or if they think it is something else altogether, by any chance). I found enough photos to make me feel that it IS a crowned snake, but it could be a Florida crowned snake, or one of the other very, very similar species. The more you learn, the more you see you just CAN'T learn it all! Drat!! And I so wanted to know EVERYTHING. Every. Single. Thing. *sigh* Marcia

"I've had no experience with queen snakes." I understand, and I think that this is also true of the others who are calling it a Queen Snake. For Mike and I, who have each seen many, many Queen Snakes and many, many Gartersnakes, it is painfully obvious that this is a Gartersnake. "that lighting and color in photography can be misleading" I see your point very well. But...the camera is not playing tricks here. It shows a dorsal stripe and red banding because they do indeed exist. "...and never seen such a patternless species whether in shed or not" But which is more likely, a Gartersnake with some pattern lacking? or a Queen Snake with a Garter-esque head, dorsal stripe, red-banding, and found far from water? "That being said, I can't be sure of the species." That's really great to hear someone say. I'm glad that someone can admit that they're not "100% sure" it's a Queen Snake, because it is not. This is a Gartersnake. -Todd ...oh, and to keep it interesting, here's a real Queen Snake found a few days ago in western Indiana.

Nice Pictures! I can answer your question. That black snake is a black rat snake. Was that midland water snake (subspecies of the northern water snake) found at LaRue Road. I have never found a midland water there before. In fact I don't think I know anyone who has seen one there either. I'm sure they have a good population there, but it surprises me that you saw one. They generally inhabit lakes, creeks and rivers. One doesn't usually see a midland or northern water snake in cypress swamp. I have seen them up north in oxbow lakes. I did see a midland water snake at Mingo swamp in a ditch, but that is far as my northern water snake experience goes. Nice find. Ryan