re: What kind of snake is this? Update just killed a 2nd snake that needs ID

dildos aside, Many snakes in your yard means they have plenty of food, usually rodents or insects. Control both, and your snake po;ulations will go down.

But, that approach is not perfect, and having a local population of "good snakes" will thin out the competion.

Garters/ribbons and speckled/salt&pepper kingsnakes are impossible to mistake with something else, and should be spared. King snakes eat other snakes too, including venomous ones.

Rat snakes have a similar pattern as rattlers/copperheads, but their shape is quite different in the body and head, and as their name suggests, they are really good at controlling vermin, which is good for you for both reduced vermin and reduced other-snake food, so learning to recognize them is worth the effort.

Same with water snakes, banded/common vs moccasin, very different heads and body width/length ratio. Plus, the round eeye in your picture of the common water snake is the give awy. Moccasins are vipers, with prominent browridges and slanted eyes.

We have several king snakes on our suburban lot that we've caught several times each over the years. They will bite, usually only once, then become docile. We always take a pic with them, then let them go.