hissing in action

Don your camouflage thinking caps.  It is is snake identification time.

This little beauty is just that -- little.  Probably no more than a foot long.  If I had not been clearing away leaves to look for termites, I would have missed him.  And he appeared to be very happy for me to do just that.

I am not quite certain what it is.  But it looks similar to the snake we discussed last February in name that snake.  There were plenty of suggestions, but my niece, the snake lady, came up with what I think is the correct answer: genus Leptodeira -- one of the cat-eyed snakes.

I apologize for the amateurish focus.  But I was doing my best to get close enough without engendering threat fears in the snake.

While locking up, it occurred to me that I will undoubtedly meet my end photographing the wild kingdom that is my garden.  There are certainly worse ways to go.

Anyone want to toss in any suggestions?  For the snake, that is.  Not my demise.