looks like a black rat snake to my uneducated eye.

http://www.thecottagekey.com/Black_Rat_Snake_1.jpg

 

Yep, Rat snake, harmless, beneficial (eats rodents), grows pretty large, and is a relative of Corn snakes (often used as pets).

 

That's a pretty cool snake, but it looks kinda dead. I love how the markings are pretty subtle. I like to catch and release the Gardner Snakes in the garden back at home. Got a nest of them, the babies are sooooo freaking cute. I caught one and it was the cutest little thing ever. I really wanted to keep it, but I probably can't care for it properly and mom doesn't want snakes in the house

Well, we still consider them as pets, their "cage" is our garden and they are free to do whatever they want.

Here is a couple pictures of the Gardners in our backyard. They either have a yellow or orange stripe. One of them is named Yeti... we first rescued it when it fell into the pit that leads to a basement window.