Common name: eastern milksnake
Scientific name: Lampropeltis triangulum
How to identify them
Milksnake have gray or light brown background colors with three rows of reddish-brown or brown blotches bordered in black. There is usually a whitish "Y" or "V"-shaped marking on the top of the head. Their bellies are white with black rectangular markings.
Where they live
You'll find these common snakes in oak savannas, northern and southern upland hardwoods, prairies, and old woodlots and pastures. They are often found around farm buildings, older homes with stone foundations, and in vacant lots at the edge of cities.
What they eat
It eats mostly rodents but will also eat other small snakes.
Did you know?
Legend has it that this snake sneaks into barns and sucks milk from cows. That's how it got the name milksnake. While this snake does like to hang around barns, it's not to suck milk from cows--it likes to eat rodents.