Help looking for snakes in the south

[msubigdawg]

I live in South Alabama. I would love to go looking for snakes sometime. I know it is a bit cold now but I have some questions. When is a good time to go looking for any type of snake in the south. Also where is a good place to be looking. I would love to find anything, rattlers, copperheads, kings, garters or anything. I would love any help.

[CamHanna]

The key is to actually go out and look. Find some place that looks 'snakey' with a good amount of ground cover (logs, bark, aluminum siding, plywood...) and start flipping stuff over. I often drive beside a woodlot until I find an old dumpsite that looks promising. It's a good idea to put the cover back as it was so you don't disturb the habitat (yes, aluminum siding is habitat) of other species or of snakes that happened to elsewhere while you were searching. Perhaps you could find someone locally that could show you around.

Good Luck

[shaggybill]

Hiya. Fortunately for you, you live in the best place in the good 'ol US of A for snakes. The South. Like CamHanna said, look for piles of junk to flip. Snakes love artificial cover, such as plywood and tin. Tin is best in the morning and evening when the sun is not beating down on it heating it to 150 degrees. Plywood is good almost anytime.

Of course a rural setting is best, but sometimes its surprising what you can find within city limits, so dont restrict your searching to the countryside only.

Probably one of the most important things to remember (and Camhanna mentioned this), but always, always, always, replace things to how you found them. I cant tell you how upsetting it is to go to my favorite tin site and find all the tin upright and on its side from the last, inconsiderate herper who came through, resulting in no snakes for me.

Anyways, you probably knew that stuff already, but thought I'd add it just in case...

Good luck.

[ASM]

Can anyone tell me about a certain florida Snake. It is black with an orange ringed collar. Is it Poisonous?

[shaggybill]

Nope, not venomous. Its called a Southern Ringneck Snake. They usually dont grow any longer than 20 inches or so.