Snakes in Maryland

Dark crossbands at the front of the body giving way to alternating blotches towards the tail.

Adults are plain dark olive, grey or brown above with no pattern at all, and a completely unmarked belly that is yellow, orange or red.

Adults are glossy black above with a faint trace of blotching visible in strong light, and a white or grey chin and throat.

Bold red or orange-brown saddles outlined in black on an orange, tan or grey ground.

Red-brown saddles with crisp black outlines on a pale grey or tan ground.

Glossy blue-black with narrow cream or yellow bands that fork and join along the sides, forming a chain-link pattern.

Three pale lengthwise stripes — one down the spine and one along each side — on a dark ground, often with a checkerboard of dark spots between them.

Highly variable — blotched brown and tan, solid grey, olive, orange or plain black.

Uniform satin black, slate blue, olive or brown above with a plain pale belly and usually a white chin.

Uniform bright leaf-green above with a plain white, cream or pale yellow belly.

Plain brown or grey-brown with a slightly paler stripe down the back, edged by two rows of small dark dots.

Grey, brown or nearly black above, sometimes with a faint pale stripe, and a startlingly bright orange or red belly.

Smooth slate-grey or blue-black above with a bright yellow or orange ring around the neck and a matching yellow, orange or red belly, sometimes spotted with black.

Uniform glossy brown above with a pink or salmon belly, the two colours meeting in a straight line along the side.