Florida has a wide variety of snakes, some poisonous. The most common one you might find in a yard is a totally harmless black snake that helps keep other varmints down. The opposite end of the spectrum includes rattlesnakes and coral snakes. For a good identification guide, click the link below.

Identify a Florida Snake – The Florida Museum

Coral Snakes – Venomous

The article on Coral Snakes below was written by Wedgewood resident Jerri Garretson after she found a coral snake on her driveway.

We have lived in Wedgewood for sixteen years and have seen harmless and beneficial black snakes and corn snakes in our yard, but never a poisonous snake until December 16, 2020. We came home from a walk and found this colorful snake slithering toward our front door. Unfortunately, I did not remember the childhood rhyme that would have told me right away that it was a poisonous coral snake:

Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, okay Jack.

There are many versions of the rhyme, but the color combos are always the same. Since I didn’t remember it, I took a photo of it on my phone and looked it up to be sure it wasn’t a harmless king snake, for instance.

This snake was about 18-24 inches long, which is long enough to be an adult Eastern Coral Snake. Although they are extremely poisonous, no one has been reported killed by a coral snake in the USA since 1967. If you see one, don’t panic, and don’t try to catch it or kill it. Most people who get bitten by snakes get bitten when a threatened snake attacks someone trying to catch or kill it. Leave it alone and it will leave. If you have visiting grandchildren, make sure they know not to try to catch this pretty snake. It looks harmless, but it’s not.

Coral snakes are by nature shy and retiring. They live underground and they eat other snakes and reptiles. They are rarely seen, and if they come out, it is usually at night or on rainy days. One of the interesting things I learned in researching coral snakes is that effects of a bite may not show up for 12-13 hours, but if someone is bitten, they should go to a hospital immediately for observation and care.

If you want more information, here is a link to an excellent article.

Coral Snake – The Florida Museum

Other harmless, NON-venomous snakes seen in Sun City Center