I have a couple little water gardens. I love the frogs and toads it attracts. But it attracts snakes too..........big northern water snakes. Its taken some self-control to not relocate them, but I think I'm accepting them. I just don't want to see them eating my frogs. I've rescued several frogs out of their mouths. I have real conflicted feelings about having the snakes here. But when I accept that nature knows what she's doing, then I'm not quite as conflicted. I told the snakes they could stay, provided they never eat in front of me. haha Many times we humans think outside the circle (of life). It does take a bit of practice, but I think its the best way to go. Good luck with accepting the snakes.

This appears to be a copperhead. Dont let the dull colors fool you as I have killed many that looked just like that and at first I was confused but it was confirmed. They are abundant in Brazoria county and when I lived at Demi John I had the misfortune of dealing with many of them. Rarely will you find one over 2' lg and if it had a triangular head then that would confirm it. Nasty little snake can crawl under short grass and you will never see them. Keep you yard mowed short as the shorter the grass the less they like it.

Kaylyn, So much of what you posted here is completely false. If this snake were to bite you it would probably not even break the skin. Even if it did this snake is completely harmless (i.e. produces no venom) so you wouldn't get sick even if you let it chew on you. I have kept and bred cornsnakes and have been bitten by dozens of them. Catching a kingsnake and letting it loose under your house or in your yard won't do anything to protect you from other snakes. If there were food and appropriate conditions for a kingsnake in your yard, one would already live there. If you released on there, it would just leave. Saying the only snakes you shouldn't kill are kingsnakes and greensnakes further reinforces the fact that you really know very little about snakes. There are dozens of completely harmless species of snakes in most areas of the country. Kingsnakes are not normally black with white rings. They are only black with white rings in one small part of their range (i.e. the west coast of the US). People don't get mad when you kill snakes because they are scared of them. In fact, just the opposite is true. People kill snakes because they are scared of them. Some people get mad when you kill snakes because killing snakes out of fear and ignorance like this serves no purpose. It doesn't make anyone safer. In fact, trying to kill snakes significantly increases your chances of a bite. People are bitten and hospitalized every year in this country by snakes they were trying to kill. If they had just left them alone, the people would have been unharmed. Lastly, many people come here to learn about snakes so that they won't be afraid and won't need to kill them out of ignorance. When someone posts a question here, they come for information, not old wive's tales. If you are so pathologically afraid of snakes that you need to kill them, I understand. With a bit of education about the realities of snakes, you can dissipate that fear. But spreading fear and misinformation here doesn't contribute to the larger cause.

Thanks! That's what I thought, but they are both small and the first Corn Snakes I've seen since we moved here in '96. If they are mating now, and next to sheets of plywood on bricks I use for potted plants (bad vole problem here) --- could I expect eggs under there somewhere? I ask because it is just a few feet away from the chicken yard and the chickens will make mincemeat of the snake hatchlings if they happen to wander in there. If we can get a population of Corn Snakes established, our vole problems will be a thing of the past! Look out voles, the end is near! LISA