im not so sure that was the case here, even when they were in the water the colors didnt seem to fade, also the patterns were very visible. not to mention i did see one with normal black coloration, i would assume with it being in the same area it would accumulate the same dusting as the rest, i just wish i could post the pictures on here. thank you for your input it is extremely possible that its just dirt, i just like to think there is a small community of these snakes with this color trait, in this area even the eastern king snakes display noticeably different patterns