We managed to turn up a couple of Yellow Ratsnakes on our trip, one crossing the road after an afternoon thundershower, and the other was in a small tree next to a small bridge crossing a creek.  Both of our specimens were calm, and did not offer to bite.  Some folks consider them ugly snakes, but I find them attractive and interesting.  They show many variations on color and pattern in southeastern South Carolina; some look like patterned Black Ratsnakes, while others show the 'greenish' background color as depicted in field guides.

There is a certain road in the lowlands of Jasper County, with a bridge that crosses over a small creek.  In the rip-rap and brush under the bridge, Banded Water Snakes spend their days basking motionless in the sunlight, digesting fish, frogs and other prey items.

We found one after a heavy rain on a blacktop road.  The picture at left shows the small, irregular square belly blotches, typical for this species; also a bit of human blood, which is also typical when handling water snakes!