I grew up with this saying, “Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, friend of Jack.”  It is supposed to help you tell the difference between a venomous Coralsnake and a harmless Kingsnake. A handy little rhyme but not all that reliable since there are other snakes that look deceptively similar.

And truly, though the Sonoran Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus) does carry a powerful neurotoxin there has not been one recorded case of human death from a Coralsnake bite. Likely because you’d practically have to stick your pinky in its mouth in order to get bit by this small snake – they only measure 2′ feet long.

I was quite excited to see this colorful creature slithering on my back porch tonight. First one I’ve noted on my property and it makes me happy to know that there is suitable habitat for it here. Of course, I would prefer if it lived just a little bit further away from my house…