They both have black tails. Coral snakes have a black nose, not that you'd want to get that close to look. They're very shy snakes, so unless you pick it up or step right on it, you probably won't get bit.

Sorry JYG, but the Florida scarlet snake and the scarlet kingsnake both have light colored tails...creamy yellow or reddish. The coral snake, on the other hand, has a black tail tip to match his black nose. And you don't really have to get close to see the black nose. If you can see the head at all, you can see it, as it covers half of his head.

Coral snake showing black nose and black tail tip. (In fact, the last portion of the snake doesn't have any red at all. It's just black,yellow, black, yellow, black.

Florida scarlet snake showing red nose and light colored tail tip.

And a scarlet kingsnake, showing red nose and red tail tip.

Here is a picture of a coral snake from some distance away, and you can see the black nose pretty clearly, so you don't really have to be very close to tell, as long as you have a
view of the head.

Sorry you were startled, Florah, and if you had a good view of a black tail tip, it was probably a coral snake. They are very shy, but I'm glad you didn't accidentally grab him while weeding. Many people think they have rear fangs and can't open their mouths wide enough to bite, but this isn't true. They have short, fixed fangs in front, and they don't have to chew to cause a problem. Even a scratch from a fang can do it, so even though they are shy, it pays to NOT pick them up and to try to avoid accidental contact. Glad both you and the snake ended up unharmed!

Marcia

If the head is red go ahead
if the head is Black STAY BACK JACK!

Whatever works for you, GP. For myself, I taught too many classes where people got the rhymes exactly backwards, saying things like,

If the head is red, you are dead,
If the head is black, friend of Jack.

So I decided long ago to teach people just to remember the black nose is a coral snake...black nose = black hat = "bad" guy. (Bad guys always wear the black hats!) It seems easier to me, but I never argue with success. However you have to remember it, without going blank when you spot one, that's how you should do it.

Marcia

Well I learned something new, never gave any though to the tail end of the snake....

Where there's a head, there's a tail (of some sort)!!

Marcia

"Red yellow, dead fellow" is the way I learned it. If the red and yellow stripes touch then it's a coral snake.

Kate

That's true, as well, but I think that's the whole point I'm making. There are several different rhymes, all of which are easy to forget in the excitement of the moment and easy to recite wrong. (Let's see, is it "red yellow, kill fellow, or red yellow safe for fellow?") I worked with a lot of snakes (the reptilian kind, of course) at the zoo and taught a lot of groups about them, and the only thing I found fool proof for the coral snake (most especially with children) is the black nose. Nothing to recite or get confused about. So that's still the way I teach it, and it seems to work well.

However, as I say, whatever device works for a person is okay with me. But generally, I find that many people forget the rhymes but have no trouble remembering the black nose.

Marcia

Well, I have a new saying, "Black & black, you'd better stand back"...black nose, black tail....

Go Rays!

Marcia,

Thanks for the advice and the pictures. It definitely was a coral snake, now that I can compare them again. From now on I am extra careful in the yard. I was especially shocked because the snake was sunning itself in plain sight under the Meyer lemon tree and I did not see it until it moved. Obviously, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

Coral snakes live in holes, don't they? I found three holes of the right size, one on my property and two on the neighbor's empty lot.

They don't so much live in "holes" actually, as in leaf litter and debris. They don't dig holes that I'm aware of, and if they moved into a hole that another critter had dug, it would probably be something bigger, I would think. Mostly, they keep to mulch, leaf litter, and stuff they can burrow under. Never stick your hand under a log or piece of wood or the like to pick it up without checking first, because that's the type of place lots of snakes will hide under. Corals, included.

You've got it right, florah...you just need to be aware and alert, and you should be just fine. And given the opportunity, coral snakes (and most others) will do their best to get out of your way.

Marcia