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.

These are really common in the lowcountry, judging by my experience with them. They are very good tree climbers, by the way! It's a little unnerving seeing one 'scale' a loblolly pine or a big live oak.

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.

Larry, all snakes have teeth. The rows of teeth in a Gray (or Black) Rat Snake will look like fangs. A Water Moccasin, or Cottonmouth, is a snake of swamps, and does not approach this size. Also, a Cottonmouth has a completely different pattern. Almost all snakes have a white inner lining of the mouth, making them look like a Cottonmouth when alarmed; the Black Rat Snake I caught Tuesday showed a white lining to the mouth while biting me three times (she was very frightened), plus, when looking in the Peterson's Guide, it doesn't look like Cottonmouths make it to Northern Alabama. Of course, people will call me a liar, and say they have seen "Water Moccasins", but these are simply Water Snakes, and are harmless.