Oh no it's a snake!

It's been my habit for the past few weeks to spend some time every day working on my parents' landscaping. They've really let it go; I had to dig up part of the driveway. Meaning I had to use a shovel to work through the mat of leaves and roots that had covered about twenty square feet of it. I also took some shears and a saw to their shrubbery; it was badly overgrown.

Today I was clearing a shrub and a tree away from the steps to the screened in porch out back when I saw a snake! SNAKE! My first thought was exactly what anyone else's would be in that circumstance.

That. Is. SO. COOL.

He had to run away a few times because I kept trimming the shrub where he was. Also, because I kept using the pruning shears (and later, rake) to pry apart the branches so I could get a good look at him. Once I was done with trimming and raking, I came inside and looked up what it was. Perfectly harmless corn snake.

So I grabbed my camera and shot these pics. It's too bad you can't really see his underbelly (you might catch a glimpse in the second photo); it's got neat digital camo markings. There are a bunch of pics of other corn snakes here.