Summer is almost here and the snakes are out.
The Speckled Kingsnake is the most common of the large Kingsnake family in this region. It has a yellow center in each dark scale, giving it a salt and pepper look. Kingsnakes and Milk Snakes are together in the large genus Lampropeltis, a group varying widely in pattern, color and size. Their heads are typically small and indistinguishable from the neck. The various species can be mostly solid colored or vibrant in patterns of rings or bands. It is the Scarlet Kingsnake (red on black) that is commonly confused with the venomous Coral snake (red on yellow). Kingsnakes are non-poisonous, and they are known to eat poisonous snakes, giving them the distinction of being beneficial to have around.
