On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 12:35:56 -0400, in article
, Mother Mastiff\ wrote:

The snake had a fresh gleaming skin, with very faint cream colored,
diamond-shaped markings on its sides (actually only the lower half of
each
diamond was visible). I nudged it with my shoe, and when its head came
out,
it was a distinctly TRIANGULAR head, not the lozenge shape of the king
snake! Scared me thoroughly!

Could it have been--don't freak--a rattler which had recently shed
its skin (thus the lighter color)?

CL,

The intruder was mostly black, with the faint markings low on its sides near
the belly (as if partly painted over by a brushful of black paint), and a
slim pointy tail, no rattle.

Are young water moccasins marked lightly and then get darker as they mature?

And HOW do I make them GO AWAY??!!

It is almost certainly *not* a water moccasin, as they are not at all common in
this area.

My husband is a big herp-lover, and he's always so funny when I ask him to ID a
snake I saw - he'll say "Did it have keeled scales?" as if (1) I understood what
he was talking about and (2) I got close enough to look, and (3) I could
actually have noticed with the blood rushing to my head ;-) I'll try to remember
to ask him about your sighting and see what suggestions he has.

To make poisonous snakes go away, I would advocate learning to tolerate the
kingsnakes, as they prey on other snakes quite a bit from what I understand
(plus they're beautiful).

--
Susan
"If we cannot adjust our differences peacefully we are less than human."
- F. Herbert