Diadophis punctatus

A new find for me in Sabino Canyon. This is a pretty tiny snake,
with this one only about 18 inches long and very tame. They will
coil and wave the last part of their tail which is bright red
colored to distract predators. To answer some of the questions:

1) These are not venomous snakes
2) The startle coloring is their primary defense when
threatened; that, and trying to escape. They appear to
be willing to sacrifice the end of their tail in order
to survive predation.