Here’s a better photo:
I think Teresa has finally nailed its identity.
It is a juvenile North American brown snake (Storeria dekayi).
I must profess some ignorance. I had not even heard of this species until last night.
Compare this snake with the brown snake entry from the University of Georgia’s Reptiles Database.
I think it’s a pretty good match.
Don’t you?
OM WORD – i had a tiny (mature) salmon-belly from Penna for about 7-years; they can come with 2 belly-colors, yellow or salmon, mine was a soft pinky-fawn above NO checks, and light salmon below…
the reverse-saddle marking (up from below) behind the head is familiar.
the SIZE is utterly different; from the 1st pic, i was thinking 18 to 24-inches long, and an inch or a bit more of girth –
this looks much smaller.
my girl never got much bigger than a brand-new pencil –
very dainty + beautiful.
— terry
PS – i found a De Kays in my childhood in Penna – but it resembled the checkered-garter considerably in markings, and was already bigger than my salmon-belly.