Southern black racer

Description:

Adult long (up to 150 cm TL) and slender with shiny, uniformly blue, blue-green, or black back. Belly yellowish white to slate gray. Throat distinctly lighter (yellow in northwest, white elsewhere). Hatchling and juvenile up to about 80 cm TL, blue-gray with 55-85 reddish brown blotches on back that become less distinct toward tail, and small dark spots along sides and belly. (information from Illinois Natural History Survey)

Habitat:

Woodland and marshland mix

Notes:

This snake wouldn't sit still so that's why I don't have any full body shots of it. Once released, it swiftly climbed a nearby tree (final image). It was spotting on Snake Road in the Shawnee National Forest.