San Diego Gopher Snake

6/19/11 San Diego Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer annectens).

3/23/14 Gopher snake in the Olive grove.

3/17/07 In the orchard off the back patio.

3/17/07

This non-venomous, rodent-eating snake is common in coastal areas, coastal sage scrub, grasslands, ag lands, woodlands, and riparian areas in Southern California. This one was quite large, about 4.5' in length, and crawled out from under a Jade tree just outside the garage. Almost gave me a heart attack until I realized it was a gopher and not a rattlesnake. It was as cool as a cucumber and hung around until I got my camera and was able to take a few shots.