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photo ©Eric Tilton

And here we have a blotched water snake. This nonvenomous reptile is not particularly shy around humans, but ultimately they'd prefer to leave us alone. I have never encountered one that was aggressive at all (mind you, I don't go poking them with sticks). Blotched water snakes mostly feed on frogs and toads, and will be found hanging out near the creek. Here are a couple of other, larger blotched water snakes:

photo ©Dylan Edwards

photo ©Dylan Edwards

Many people I've talked to have expressed fear and concern regarding the presence of these snakes by the pond. Often they mistake these for venomous water moccasins and threaten to kill the snakes for safety reasons. In response to this, I have created an informational page to educate people about these snakes in hopes of easing people's concerns.