Milk snake

How to identify it

In the Northeast: tan or gray with red-brown blotches outlined in black
In the South and West: red, black and yellow or white rings, red touching black
Smooth shiny scales, round pupils

Size: 24–36 in (total length). Habitat: Fields, woods and rocky slopes over most of the country.

Also called milksnake, eastern milk snake.

Includes the western (L. gentilis) and Mexican (L. annulata) milk snakes, split from L. triangulum in 2014.

Where it lives

Lives here
Rare records
Gone
Not here

Lives in 41 states; rare records from 4 more states. Tap a state for details.

When it is out

Open US records by month; most fall in May to July.

Look-alikes

Coral Snake vs Milk Snake Eastern coral snake: dangerous
Copperhead vs Milk Snake Copperhead: medically significant

Texas coral snakeDangerous

State by state

State	Status	Open records	Counties
Kansas	Lives here	765	81
New York	Lives here	687	47
Pennsylvania	Lives here	633	65
Texas	Lives here	542	89
Michigan	Lives here	399	58
Ohio	Lives here	345	61
Virginia	Lives here	302	49
Illinois	Lives here	290	23
Louisiana	Lives here	267	27
Connecticut	Lives here	263	8
Massachusetts	Lives here	242	13
New Jersey	Lives here	213	18
North Carolina	Lives here	196	46
Florida	Lives here	192	19
Missouri	Lives here	188	18
Oklahoma	Lives here	179	28
Indiana	Lives here	177	53
Wisconsin	Lives here	172	13
Colorado	Lives here	166	20
Nebraska	Lives here	153	28
Maryland	Lives here	144	17
Kentucky	Lives here	109	19
West Virginia	Lives here	96	27
Tennessee	Lives here	92	23
Arkansas	Lives here	90	16
Minnesota	Lives here	90	10
Vermont	Lives here	85	8
Maine	Lives here	67	11
New Hampshire	Lives here	67	9
Utah	Lives here	59	9
Iowa	Lives here	54	17
New Mexico	Lives here	54	17
South Dakota	Lives here	47	15
Rhode Island	Lives here	43	2
Mississippi	Lives here	37	11
Montana	Lives here	37	6
Arizona	Lives here	36	3
Georgia	Lives here	34	13
Alabama	Lives here	29	12
South Carolina	Lives here	25	9
Wyoming	Lives here	12	6
Delaware	Rare records	15	1
California	Rare records	2	1
Nevada	Rare records	1	1
North Dakota	Rare records	1	1

States not listed have no open records and are outside the range.

Questions

Where does the milk snake live?

In 41 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Rare records also come from California, Delaware, Nevada and North Dakota.

Is the milk snake dangerous?

Harmless. Not venomous.

How do you identify a milk snake?

In the Northeast: tan or gray with red-brown blotches outlined in black. In the South and West: red, black and yellow or white rings, red touching black. Smooth shiny scales, round pupils.

When is the milk snake most active?

Most open US records fall in May to July.