Lance R. wrote:

Looks like somebody forgot to take their bitchy pill today.

That's not true. A lot of people kill brwon water snakes because they
think they're copperheads. Even knowledgeable people. Last year my
s.o.'s stepdad killed one in their yard because he thought it was a
copperhead despite my thoughts to the contrary. The attitude tends to
be better safe than sorry. He was unhappy a few days late rwhen I
pulled out my reptile guide and idnetified the snake he killed as a
brown water snake.

I think whther or not you perceive someone as being "bitchy" may have to
do with how much you value the critter. Personally, I like snakes and I
dislike the knee jerk "let's just kill it" reaction a lot of people have
to them.

My mother has always had cats who were fond of snakes - particularly
garter snakes. My mom's neighbor would throw a hissy fit anytime Joseph
P. Pussycat (a *huge* maine coon) or his successor Joey would bring
home a snake. It was always my job to retrieve the snake from the cat
and release it in the woods because if I didn't do it *immediately*, the
snake was dispatched with a shovel.

Most of the snakes you encounter in this are are harmless. Leave them
alone and they'll leave you alone. In addition, they will make dinner
of any local rodent you may have plaguing your garden.

Susan
s h simko at duke dot edu