Hello, everybody, thanks for your comments. Maryl, it is absolutely true that the experts will tell you to look at the eyes and also the shape of the head. We looked at the head and it was triangular, which indicates venomous snake. Also, the picture on the computer sealed the deal for us. We won't kill anything unless it is a total menace. If this snake stayed out by the pond and ate gophers, it would probably be alive today. Daniel, you are right to bring up all the other things that can harm us. We do have black widow spiders around here, those definitely have to go, and occasionally, we see ticks, not too often, thank goodness. Mosquitos are a given, but we are fortunate to not have many of those. We have the bat patrol at night and martins in the daytime and early evening--just love watching those birds work. Even so, it just takes one bite to make a person seriously ill or worse. Stay safe everybody so you can enjoy your gardening.
