The Texas rat snake has claimed our wildlife brush pile as its home.

http://www.austinreptileservice.net/blotches.html

Looks kind of like a Texas Rat Snake, but they come in several appearances. If that's what it is, they are not venomous and don't usually bite unless cornered and afraid. They are usually white on the bottom and the insides of their mouths are white. We got a huge one drop out of a tree at our last place. They go after bird eggs in nest up in trees...........and I think rats. :)

A few years ago, before I installed drip irrigation, one dry summer morning I was hand-watering a container when I noticed movement in the ground cover next to the container. A tiny snake had positioned itself so the water would trickle down on it. Of course, it kept a wary eye on me while it took its shower. I had never thought of snakes as being cute, but that little critter stole my heart. We now provide a home for them in the form of the aforementioned brush pile, and they return the favor by keeping the rodents out of our tomato patch.

Anyone living or playing outside the concrete jungle in Tx should learn to id the 4 venomous snakes indigenous to Tx because there are so many different kinds that are harmless. Two are easy. Coral will never be confused with others if you remember "red touch black,friend of Jack,red touch yellow kill a fellow". Rattler,,,,,,,,,you will know him when you see him,nuff said. That leave's Copperhead and Cottonmouth which have hundreds of look alikes. Unlike imposters,both have elliptical eye pupils like a cat. If you have someone show you pits in both their heads and lack of in imposters,that will help also. BTW,most Texans call all large harmless species "chicken snakes"but that's because so few know the proper names.

Why do I feel that once close enough to confirm the shape of their pupils, whether or not they are poisonous may have become irrelevant? ;-)

I'm with you, bostedo! If I'm that close, he has probably already gotten me! I just consider all serpents in my suburban garden "the enemy" and will kill one in a heartbeat if I can. I know- rats etc. I don't have rats in my neighborhood, and if I did, I'd rather call an exterminator than have snakes in my garden or woodpile.

I have no idea why you feel that way but it certainly isn't irrelevant in the case where someone was bitten,the snake was killed so that close examination is possible and/or dead snake can be carried to hospital along with victim. But you know what. It's often possible to see the pupils without getting dangerously close if snake is still and lighting is good. And of course that's only possible if the observer doesn't panic and start screaming.

Anglophilia: Is it possible that you never see any rats because the snakes are doing an excellent job?