Just google "yellow bellied racer" they are very common here!

Lee

It is an Eastern Yellow-Bellied Racer. They are nonvenomous and harmless. Great picture, by the way.

Do all racers chase you if antagonized? I remember the games we would play with them when I was a kid...especially if we could get it to chase some other kid. We would all scream and run about wildly as if it were very dangerous, but knew that all we needed to do was "run at it" and it would turn tail and be off in the other direction.

I have found racers to vary quite a bit in behavior from one individual to the next. Some will vibrate their tails in leaves when alarmed, others will immediately flee as fast as they can, others will attempt to zig toward you rapidly and sometimes reverse directions a couple of times as a way to confuse you assuming you are a predator (this is the chasing behavior people talk of), and some will calmly lay there until you touch them.

I know Wayne will appreciate this: I found a whole nest of baby ringneck snakes in my oregano patch. This was about 10 days ago. I haven't seen them since, so don't know if they moved to the woods or if they're still deep in the oregano. Very cute...with their orange bellies and necklaces.

Thanks everyone! I knew it had to be a racer of some sort. On one shot from the time it took to depress the button on the camera, it was gone! It immediately fled up inside a hollow tree. How have I lived in the country this long and never seen this snake? Maybe because it is so fast.............

Thanks again, I told DH you guys would set us straight. I used the zoonm on my little cheapie camera. I didn't want to get too close.

GD

WOW.. very good picture of snake. It is very perfect in colors!! Kat

chance,

That is neat that you found a whole bunch of little ringnecks. They're cute and colorful little snakes.