Northern Scarlet Snake Kenneth L. Krysko photo.
Adult color is a whitish-gray dorsal ground color with red blotches bordered by black.
The head is red with a distinct light colored band just behind the eyes. The belly pattern is uniformly whitish-gray. The scales are smooth , and there are 19 dorsal scale rows at midbody. There are 6 scales on the upper lip, and the pupil is round. Juvenile color is like that of adults.