Gray rat snake on the back porch
 

Today, Connie went out on the back porch to tend to the little citrus trees she is growing from seed, and spotted this little gray rat snake just sunning himself on the ledge of our screen enclosure. She came to tell me about it and I just grabbed a camera to snap a few pics. I then caught it, bagged it up, and later on we ran it out to the forest to let it go. She doesn't want it to eat her lizards.

Not the best pics in the world, as I should have used a flash to neutralize the mottled lighting there, but what the heck.

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A few days ago we found a much larger gray rat snake coming from under the front porch. Was easily 4 ft. long. We bagged him up to and let him go out in the forest. He was prowling around the bird feeders, so we know what he had in mind.

He's very tiny! Nice find.

Yeah, just barely a handful. I'm not really sure how the heck he got up onto that ledge.

The gray rat snakes we find around here are really rather pretty. I've seen some from just a bit further north around Tallahassee that are dirt ugly in comparison. Further west, near Apalachicola, the blotches get a more milk chocolate color.

Very cool slave! Love all your pics, keep them coming.
I love Florida as well, can't wait to move down there in the future. Take care.
Chris

Really nice finds! Rat snakes do some amazing straight-up-the-side-of-a-house climbing when they want to, fun stuff! I like lizards too but I'd have left him there...