jhoffman, they are yankin' your chain. There is no such thing as a cross between black snakes and rattlers. Alot of people don't know what the heck they're talking about when it comes to snakes so when they see something they just fill in the blanks where they see fit. The two most common species of rattlers in this area are the eastern diamondback and the timber. What I'm guessing is that someone may have spotted a timber rattler and assumed it was half black snake just based on appearance. Timber rattlers can have various shades of green to black with distinctive markings down their back. Below are a few images of some darker timbers as well as a juvanile that may appear green and have more distinctive markings. All rattlers will have very keeled scales as well as a distinctive diamond shaped head and of course a rattle on the tail. If you can't tell a rattler from any other snake then I wouldn't even suggest picking up an earthworm. Basically, if the snake looks like a black snake then it is a blacksnake.






Below now is a pick of a black snake that didn't quite lose it's markings yet. If you compare it to the first pick of the timber you'll see where some people who don't know any better may assume that it's a cross but sorry...still won't happen. I hope this helps.