What kind of snake is this?

Eastern Milksnakes Lampropeltis triangulum are medium-sized (record 132.1 cm) non-venomous colubrid snakes with smooth scales, part of a group of seven species of milk and kingsnakes called the triangulum species complex. Eastern Milksnakes are found in the north and eastern parts of North America. They kill by overpowering their prey and will eat mainly rodents, but are generalists and consume lizards, birds, eggs and invertebrates. Eastern Milksnakes are variable in color - geographic range helps greatly in identification and to distinguish them from other species.

Range map | Relevant/Recent Phylogeography: Link 1 Link 2

This recent multi-locus work is well done, published in a high-tier journal and was well-received by those who understand the coalescent. It's supported by morphological work (Link 2) and has been adopted by the major North American herp societies.

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Western North Carolina

Some species are best distinguishable from each other by geographic range, and not all species live all places. Providing a rough geographic location like county or closest city allows for quicker, accurate identification. Thanks!

I am a bot created for r/whatsthissnake, r/snakes and r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here.