You may have heard the saying when it comes to those colorful red, yellow,and black snakes. But do you know which are safe?

I was out cutting grass and came across one of those slithering, slimy and (when spotted) hair-raising reptiles. This one had 3 distinct colors, red, yellow and black.

I’m sure you have heard how to spot the difference in those which are dangerous and those that keep pests away.

When I saw this snake in my yard, I tried to remember the saying to no avail. That left no choice. Time to get the shovel and cut this rascal in half on the first swing. He started to wiggle like he was trying to find his other half. I was able to scoop up half of him and toss him over the fence then the other half in a different area. But had I just killed a friend or foe.

Turns out I did right. Crawling across my yard was a coral snake with red, yellow and black markings, in that order. I looked it up and found out the difference in the two types. Poisonous corals found in SC are red,

Poisonous corals found in SC are red, yellow and black. Non-poisonous corals are black, red and black. One of the sayings is “Red and Yellow, Kill a Fellow” while the other is “Red and Black, Venom lack.” This I will try and remember the next time, which hopefully will be a long time from now.