Ring-necked Snake
Identification
Dark gray above, bright yellow beneath, with a yellow or orange collar that no other snake in the county wears. Lift a flagstone in a shaded garden and this is often what is underneath.
Alarmed, it coils the tail into a tight spiral and lifts it, turning the underside up so the color shows. The display is aimed at something that hunts by sight, and on a human it mostly produces a photograph.
Where to expect it.
Moist woodland across the county, and reliably under garden stone.
Active Season
Charted from this species’ own research-grade records inside Williamson County.
What it gets mistaken for.
The yellow belly and the collar together rule out everything else this size.
Young DeKay's and red-bellied snakes wear a pale collar too, but they have keeled scales and no bright yellow belly.
No collar, and a plain cream belly rather than a yellow one.
When you meet one.
It curls its tail, shows the bright underside and may release a little musk. That is the entire repertoire.
Put it back gently.
Lower the stone rather than dropping it, and give the snake a second to move.
Card and cup.
It is small enough for a drinking glass and a postcard. Release it into leaf litter, not onto a lawn.
That is the show.
The coiled tail is a warning display borrowed from species that can back it up. This one cannot.
A good first snake.
Harmless, slow and vividly marked. Wash hands afterwards, as with any reptile.
Pack it. Print it. Pass it on.
Most snakes killed in Williamson County are killed by someone who could not name them. Send this to anyone who gardens, hikes, keeps a woodpile, walks a dog off the greenway, or has a teenager who reaches into things. That is most of the county.
Sources
Medical disclaimer. This field guide is general educational information, not medical advice, and is no substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. Any bite from a copperhead or a timber rattlesnake is a medical emergency: go to an emergency department, and call the Tennessee Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 on the way. In an emergency, call 911. Identification disclaimer. No photograph identifies a snake with certainty, and this guide will not make anyone a herpetologist. When the answer matters, keep your distance and send a photograph to someone who does this for a living.