Red to Yellow - Kill a Fellow

Memorization has fallen out of favor.  I hear the cry of the newly enlightened, "Don't teach to the test", "true education is not about memorizing a set of dates and facts".  I understand these broader points of the enlightened.  Never-the-less, I find their is a distinct pleasure in having memorized some bedrock facts and holding them indelibly in one's memory for years.  These items committed to memory may one day come from the dim reaches of the mind to serve you well.

A few years back I decided to commit to memory Poe's wonderful poem, Eldorado.  That simple task of holding poetry for its own sake was satisfying merely in its own right.  And yes, I have a few salient points of theology committed to memory from the Gospels and The Book of Romans, among other Bible verses.  But going back to my first love, reptiles and amphibians, I was a first grade scholar on such matters, especially the snakes.  I dwelt on snakes and all things serpent. I fantasized about snakes.  Their brilliant and beautiful skins, their strikint, coiling, climbing, and constricting.  It was all part of a marvelous world that kept me facinated for some years.

As I read through every 'Reptile and Amphibian' book stocked in the Rancho Elementary library and most of the tomes from the city library, I became well versed in the debunking of the many fearful myths surrounding the snake and without even trying I absorbed many facts.  I fear I've now forgotten more snake lore and knowledge than I can now readily recall.  But, at least one memorized fact has remained:

Red to Yellow - Kill a Fellow

Red to Black - Venom Lack (He's all right Jack)

This simple mnemonic was handy in differentiating the oder of the color bands between the venomous Coral Snake, and the non-venomous Scarlet King Snake.

Coral Snake: Red touches Yellow to Kill a Fellow

To me, the Scarlet King was the most treasured specimen I could hope to spot and capture.  Many a silent wish for the capture of a Scarlet King preceded the blowing out of the burning candles atop my birthday cakes; "this year let me catch a Scarlet King Snake" was my fervent, but unrequited plea.

While in the woods of East Texas of Labor Day, it was reported that a small Coral snake was spotted outside the house under some oak trees.  I rushed to search, and among the three of us men, we found this beautiful creature weaving under dead leaves and followed him as he pulled himself above the dust and up the coarse bark of the oak.

Sure enough, "red to yellow" easily dropped from the dim reaches of my memory and was there on my tongue to correctly identify this bedazzling specimen.  Though venomous, he was way too small to be remotely a threat and even if he was much larger, say 2 feet, I recall being told that a Coral Snake would almost have to gnaw on you in order to inject enough neural toxin to do you any harm.  I treasured the experience at having met him, took a few fan photos and allowed him to depart in peace, wishing him all the best and a long life.