Holey cow I don't know what it is but I would stay away till you find out!

Oh I am, Lisa! LOL
I'm holed up in the house...LOLAM
Hope it doesn't come looking for me...I really ticked'm off, I think.
Yikes!

I'm by no means an expert, but thumbing through my Snakes of GA and SC guide, and searching on google images for a few species, I don't think you have a garter snake. You *may* have a pygmy rattlesnake; did you happen to hear a slight buzzing noise before the snake started striking at you? Pygmy rattlers have such tiny rattles that they're almost invisible and the most noise they make is something akin to a bee's buzz.

Whatever it is, I would be wary. A general rule of thumb is that snakes with heads as wide as the one you found are often venemous (of course there are exceptions to this rule both ways).

My other thought is maybe a hognose snake? I can't tell from either of your pictures if the snake you found has an upturned nose. If it does, that easily IDs it as one of the hognose snakes, all of which are nonvenemous. Hognoses have wider heads than most nonvenemous snakes. The behavior sounds like it could be a hognose, too. Hognoses will fan their heads and necks out (like a cobra) when bothered and they'll hiss and strike their heads, although they rarely actually bite. If you continue to bother a hognose doing this display, it will go belly-up and play dead.

Either way, if you leave the snake alone, it should go on its way shortly. Trying to catch or kill it is a good way to get yourself bitten! Leaving it alone is the best thing to do.

I don't think it's a venemous snake - maybe a ribbon snake or a variety of garter snake. They can get feisty when cornered.

Lellie, treat any unknown snake as if it was poisonous! It's far better to be safe than sorry. And don't assume that it has left the area when you go back outside. Be very careful.

Take your picture (or email it if you can do so) to your local extension office and somebody there might be able to identify it for you. This may be a full grown snake but it could also be a young one and sometimes their coloration changes as they grow.

Just promise us you won't kill it!

Ditto on the good advice from everyone above...hard to tell from the pic and we don't have enough rattlers here in my area for me to be any good at id ing them...
let us know if you get a positive tag for it.

Sure looks like a garter snake to me, and they CAN and DO strike when cornered (one scared the bejeezus out of me a few years back). Whatever it is, please let it leave on its own without harming it - I guarantee it's good for your garden to have some snakes in it :)

I'd never harm a snake.
I keep my distance...believe me!...LOL...but I'd NEVER harm one!

It's gone...dunno where...jes as long as it doesn't come after me, I'm cool with it...LOL

*It was kind of cute!...and only about 10" or so long.

I don't think it's a ribbon or garter snake. I see them in my yard everyday and they do not look like the one you have in your yard. Not only that, ribbon and garter snakes slither away. I have never had one strike at me. My husband takes the garter snakes to a swamp 2 miles away (I hate snakes) and they don't strike at him either. I would stay away from that one!! YIKES!!!!!!

BBB - some garter snakes do strike when cornered (it's not typical, but it can happen) and there are a LOT of different subspecies throughout the country. The one pictured looks a lot like the ones I have seen here in PA, but not like the classic black and yellow ones I was used to in New England. Garter snake behavior when threatened varies with genetics - it's about a 50/50 split between biters and non-biters, for instance, according to one study I read.

Anyway, this does not appear to be a rattler if you look at the tail. As for the flattened head, I think that that is part of this snake's defensive posturing - if you look closely, it does not look like a typical head structure, but rather as if the sides of the jaws have been everted. Many nonpoisonous snakes flatten themselves to look wider and more scary. I think what you have here is one scared silly little snake that was probably thrilled when you left it alone :)

Yep, I am used to the black and yellow ones. That is why I didn't think it was a garter snake. As much as I don't like snakes, I have never harmed one. My husband just puts them in a tote and takes them to the swamp. I think he took 12 so far this year. I must have good natured snakes, none of them have struck out at me or my husband. That guy in lellie's yard sure is grumpy!

Well...I appreciate all your responses, and I'm going to assume it's a common garter snake...for my OWN peace of mind...LOL

I believe he was so grumpy because of the flash from the camera...it probably scared the bejeezus out of'm.
Plus...I'm wondering if it isn't the onset of hibernation time. I mean, afterall, he WAS way down under some pretty hard, clay covered by about 4" of mulch.
He was probably sleeping...or getting his last full meal of night crawlers when I uncovered him.

*I'm in SE PA, not Florida at the moment.

He's gone now and I don't know where...hehehe...but I covered the hole back up with the mulch.

BTW: When I let Picture it! automatically tweak the color and brightness levels, the colors of the snake were changed a bit. Here are two pics showing actual color...

{{gwi:1349890}}

{{gwi:1349892}}

I agree with the advice to keep away from any snake you can't identify. That said, the snake is definitely a harmless Eastern Garter Snake. Garter Snakes are variable in pattern but there are several diagnostics on this snake...the middle stripe, the yellow chin with vertical black bars etc. that show that it is an Eastern Garter Snake. jillmcm is absolutely right. The flattened head shape is typical of any snake being defensive. The old adage about head shape being a useful diagnostic between venomous and nonvenomous snakes is faulty precisely because almost any snake in a defensive posture is going to appear to have a large head.

I'm fairly certain that he's an Eastern Hognosed snake. Always put on a good show, they do. See how he's flattened his head and 'neck' like a cobra?

They are highly variable in color and pattern but yours sure looks like the real deal!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1349884}}

While the hognose snake is indeed the master of flattening its head and neck like a cobra, many other snakes including the harmless nerodian water snakes, garter snakes, bull snakes and gopher snakes can also do a lesser version of the head flattening display.

Impressive as the head flattening on this particular specimen is, I'm still certain it is an Eastern Garter Snake because of the yellow lower lip with vertical black lines and the vertebal stripe.

Of course it wouldn't be much fun if we all agreed ;-).

Thanks again...I hope the little guy makes it through the winter...wherever he went...LOL

If Wayne says it's a Garter snake, it's a garter snake. He is an expert from the reptile board.

Well for some reason the very first pic did not load for me when I first read this thread. Now that I see that pic I am leaning toward the garter conclusion.
Saying that some kinds of snakes will not display aggression and strike is like saying that some kinds of dogs will not bite. Yes, tendencies in behavior exist, but there are always surprises. About the only snakes I have ever encountered that do not attempt to strike are the rough green snakes and I am sure that sooner or later one will let me have it, although I might be injured worse by carelessly picking a blackberry.

My hubby just confirmed it with Peterson Field Guide it is an Eastern Garter Snake. Boy he is the meanest looking Garter I have ever seen.

Hi I live in FL and I have pigmy and diamond back rattle snakes. What you got there may be a pigmy but it would be a lighter color here cause our sandy soil. The pointed nose and yellow says it is poisonous. The body is fat too not skinny and sleek, another sign of the rattle snake. Call your wildlife people or police to get someone with experance to remove him. If the police can't help they should tell you who can. Since he endangers you and other they should be willing to come after him.

I ran across the little guy up here in SE Pennsylvania...not at my home in Florida.

Sorry for the confusion...