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Snakes are out and about
Just wanted to make people aware that I found my first baby (12") Copperhead
Snake on Saturday. My cat was playing with it and it was coiled up with just its head out of the grass. Make sure you watch your step and wear shoes in the grass. I live in N. Raleigh near Mt. Vernon Church and Creedmoor Rd. Penny |
Snakes are out and about
Oh well, I was hoping that the snakes would decide to wait 'til summer to come
out. Note that baby copperheads can be as poisonous as adults. |
Snakes are out and about
Do you just run into snakes in the grass? I don't have a woodpile or
anything & am wondering what the probability is of running into one... North Durham area, if it matters. On Mon, 7 Apr 2003, Penny Morgan wrote: Just wanted to make people aware that I found my first baby (12") Copperhead Snake on Saturday. My cat was playing with it and it was coiled up with just its head out of the grass. Make sure you watch your step and wear shoes in the grass. I live in N. Raleigh near Mt. Vernon Church and Creedmoor Rd. Penny |
Snakes are out and about
I was surprised at the number of snakes I used to find in my pine straw.
You'd not even know they were there until you'd turn over the pine straw. Black snakes (good) will climb ivy and hang out in the gutters or roof of you house, also. We had a skylight replaced once, and the guy almost fell off the roof when he pulled the flashing and a blacksnake slithered out. I have also found them in our bird feeder and have a photo of one eating a bird he'd caught. FWIW, we lived near Falls Lake and I once was wading down a creek toward the lake when I spotted two cotton mouths on a dead tree overhanging the creek. One "dropped" off a limb and began to swim toward me. Trust me, Jesus wasn't the only one who walked on water. grin Those two became jelly when I returned with the 12 ga. and made them into "good" snakes. I should have taken a photo, because I've been told again and again that they couldn't be cotton mouths, since Falls Lake is too far north. However, having spent a summer living in a tent on an island in a Mississippi bayou, I KNOW cotton mouths and can identify them easily. -- Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV NEW EMAIL NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax "Arwen Long" wrote in message cpub.duke.edu... Do you just run into snakes in the grass? I don't have a woodpile or anything & am wondering what the probability is of running into one... North Durham area, if it matters. On Mon, 7 Apr 2003, Penny Morgan wrote: Just wanted to make people aware that I found my first baby (12") Copperhead Snake on Saturday. My cat was playing with it and it was coiled up with just its head out of the grass. Make sure you watch your step and wear shoes in the grass. I live in N. Raleigh near Mt. Vernon Church and Creedmoor Rd. Penny |
Snakes are out and about
I've never run into a "snake in the grass" per se, but I know that I've
narrowly avoided stepping on some that like to come out & sun themselves on the "pavers" on my path to the mailbox. Also, I have developed a quite different attitude toward snakes after finding them in my Bluebird house a few years back! Anne Lurie NE Raleigh "Arwen Long" wrote in message cpub.duke.edu... Do you just run into snakes in the grass? I don't have a woodpile or anything & am wondering what the probability is of running into one... North Durham area, if it matters. On Mon, 7 Apr 2003, Penny Morgan wrote: Just wanted to make people aware that I found my first baby (12") Copperhead Snake on Saturday. My cat was playing with it and it was coiled up with just its head out of the grass. Make sure you watch your step and wear shoes in the grass. I live in N. Raleigh near Mt. Vernon Church and Creedmoor Rd. Penny |
Snakes are out and about
Tom Gauldin wrote:
... FWIW, we lived near Falls Lake and I once was wading down a creek toward the lake when I spotted two cotton mouths on a dead tree overhanging the creek. One "dropped" off a limb and began to swim toward me. Trust me, Jesus wasn't the only one who walked on water. grin Those two became jelly when I returned with the 12 ga. and made them into "good" snakes. I should have taken a photo, because I've been told again and again that they couldn't be cotton mouths, since Falls Lake is too far north. However, having spent a summer living in a tent on an island in a Mississippi bayou, I KNOW cotton mouths and can identify them easily. According to _Reptiles of North Carolina_, it isn't so much too far north (they are found in VA), but may be too far west. Wake is apparently the westernmost edge of where they may be found, and that only rarely. The same source also says: "Reports of cottonmouths in western and central NC ... almost always are based on nonvenomous water snakes of the genus _Nerodia_, usually _N.sipedon_." Also, and this is particularly interesting in light of your description: "Unlike several species of large water snakes that share their habitat (most notably _Nerodia taxispilota_), cottonmouths seldom climb to appreciable heights in branches above the water. Most are seen on the bank or on stumps, log jams, low brush piles, and similar places near water level." We used to see these basking water snakes a lot at Schenck Forest in Raleigh. Used to drive Bill crazy when someone would tell us to "watch out for the cottonmouths down by the creek in the trees." -- Susan Hogarth |
Snakes are out and about
Tom Gauldin wrote:
Dunno, Susan. As I suspected ;-) These were two 30", fat, snakes with black skin hanging around in a downed tree over the water. One fell out of the tree and began swimming toward me, prompting the Jesus interpretation of walking on water. When I finished with them, it'd take DNA analysis to even determine the species, but I always considered them to be cotton mouths. Yes, it certainly makes for a more interesting story. Cottonmouths are generally wary around humans (according to the source I mentioned earlier - I don't have any direct experience of them), but the water snakes can be quite agressive and crotchety (according to my husband who *is* a smake fan, and to our personal experience). There's no point in arguing over something that can't be decided one way or another, but I just wanted to point out that it's very unlikely one would see a cottonmouth in Wake County, and that water snakes look very much like them and trick many people into believing cottonmouths are common in this area. -- Susan Hogarth |
Snakes are out and about
FWIW, I've spent many time in a canoe, floating down a bayou, looking at
Cotton mouths. Whether my tale is flavored by that memory (as you suggest) or whether my recollection of what a fat cotton mouth, vs. a water snake suggests, is moot. I've been in the canoe shooting the cotton mouths with a ..22 pistol, and having them charge the canoe with enough energy that we needed to chop them with paddles. Well, Susan, it's best to trust your books of what somebody says. I can never prove my tale, so let's just leave it with your refutation. -- Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV NEW EMAIL NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax "Susan Hogarth" wrote in message m... Tom Gauldin wrote: Dunno, Susan. As I suspected ;-) These were two 30", fat, snakes with black skin hanging around in a downed tree over the water. One fell out of the tree and began swimming toward me, prompting the Jesus interpretation of walking on water. When I finished with them, it'd take DNA analysis to even determine the species, but I always considered them to be cotton mouths. Yes, it certainly makes for a more interesting story. Cottonmouths are generally wary around humans (according to the source I mentioned earlier - I don't have any direct experience of them), but the water snakes can be quite agressive and crotchety (according to my husband who *is* a smake fan, and to our personal experience). |
Snakes are out and about
Tom Gauldin wrote:
FWIW, I've spent many time in a canoe, floating down a bayou, looking at Cotton mouths. Are you sure? Perhaps they, too, were water snakes. How do you know they were cottonmouths? Did you see someone bit by one? Did locals identify them for you? Many people around here call water snakes 'cottonmouths', so I think local identification has to be taken with a grain of salt. snip Well, Susan, it's best to trust your books of what somebody says. I'm not sure what you're saying. It's certainly possible you saw two cottonmouths, but it's also an uncommon sight in Wake County, and mis-identification is common. That's all I wanted to point out. I can never prove my tale, so let's just leave it with your refutation. Neither is susceptible to proof at this point. I just like to point out how similar the two are and how unlikely one is to find cottonmouths here. You needn't be so defensive about it. Here is some interesting info about the common confusion: http://www.parcplace.org/publication...es/cmflier.pdf http://www.parcplace.org/education/sparc/trip5.htm northern water snake: http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/nortwtr.htm brown water snake: http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/brwnwtr.htm and cottonmouth: http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/cotton.htm .... and some five-lined skinks hatching (just 'cause they're so cute): http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/l.../newskinks.jpg -- Susan Hogarth |
Snakes are out and about
"Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:hoMka.760
FWIW, I've spent many time in a canoe, floating down a bayou, looking at Cotton mouths. Are you sure? Perhaps they, too, were water snakes. How do you know they were cottonmouths? Did you see someone bit by one? Did locals identify them for you? Many people around here call water snakes 'cottonmouths', so I think local identification has to be taken with a grain of salt. snip Well, Susan, it's best to trust your books of what somebody says. I'm not sure what you're saying. It's certainly possible you saw two cottonmouths, but it's also an uncommon sight in Wake County, and Looks like somebody forgot to take their bitchy pill today. Lance |
Snakes are out and about
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 |
Snakes are out and about
"Susan H. Simko" wrote in message
... 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. Or the local pets. Lance |
Snakes are out and about
On Wed, 09 Apr 2003 19:27:03 GMT, in article
, Lance R. wrote: "Susan H. Simko" wrote in message ... 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. Or the local pets. It's not very responsible to let your pet rodents run free. They should always be supervised for outdoor play. My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once before I realised it and hopped on one foot (the one that was *not* just about to step on the snake) to the side. Of course Bill was there with the camera in a flash :) This was at Schenck Forest, where we have seen several copperheads and many watersnakes. The copperheads are *gorgeous*, although of course it doesn't pay to get too close to them. But they don't seem inclined to attack. I used to walk at Schenck with the dogs every evening, and we often saw snakes and many people had their dogs off-lead, but I don't recall any bites. I may try to find the pictures Bill took and post them. I even made up a flyer with pics of copperheads and water snakes so people could have an easier time identifying them - myself included, as without Bill I am hopeless to ID any snake but the copperhead reliably. Well, I can also pretty reliably ID worm snakes :) - Susan |
Snakes are out and about
Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:tO_ka.2023$W%
My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once before I realised it and hopped on one foot It was probably just a corn snake and you imagined it to be a Copperhead, since it makes for a more interesting story. grin FWIW, I have a picture of a black snake (unless it was a Cotton Mouth) I found in the bird feeder one day. He'd caught a Finch (or perhaps it was an Ostrich) and had it about half way down the hatch. I picked him up and took him out to the woods so Klepto (or maybe it was a wolf) wouldn't get him. I didn't realize that a snake could spit out something that was almost down the hatch. Unfortunately, the snake (or was it a stick) didn't realize it and spit the bird out. About all I could do was to put the black snake (or was it an Adder) down by "his" bird and put Klepto in the garage. By the time I returned, he'd retaken his prize, so when he got it about 3" down, I again picked him up and placed him way out back by the stream (or was it a creek) beside a Pine (or was it an Oak) tree. |
Snakes are out and about
Well, it's Wednesday, and I just found my second snake of the season. My
cat just earned her keep. This one was a common Garter Snake and only a baby (6"), but I found it dead in the grass on my front lawn. It will be interesting to see how many snakes the cats will hunt down this spring. I know that snakes are beneficial in keeping mice, voles and moles at bay, but I already have 3 cats and a dog that do this for me. So it doesn't hurt my feelings to find dead snakes. I just want to be able to wander freely in my yard without stepping on one. This is my first spring in this house. I'll keep you posted. Penny "Penny Morgan" wrote in message ... Just wanted to make people aware that I found my first baby (12") Copperhead Snake on Saturday. My cat was playing with it and it was coiled up with just its head out of the grass. Make sure you watch your step and wear shoes in the grass. I live in N. Raleigh near Mt. Vernon Church and Creedmoor Rd. Penny |
Snakes are out and about
"Tom Gauldin" wrote in message
news:VB%ka.4723$2_3.2295@fed1read04... | Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:tO_ka.2023$W% | | My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react | strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once | before I realised it and hopped on one foot | | It was probably just a corn snake and you imagined it to be a Copperhead, | since it makes for a more interesting story. grin | | FWIW, I have a picture of a black snake (unless it was a Cotton Mouth) I | found in the bird feeder one day. He'd caught a Finch (or perhaps it was an | Ostrich) and had it about half way down the hatch. I picked him up and took | him out to the woods so Klepto (or maybe it was a wolf) wouldn't get him. I | didn't realize that a snake could spit out something that was almost down | the hatch. Unfortunately, the snake (or was it a stick) didn't realize it | and spit the bird out. | | About all I could do was to put the black snake (or was it an Adder) down by | "his" bird and put Klepto in the garage. By the time I returned, he'd | retaken his prize, so when he got it about 3" down, I again picked him up | and placed him way out back by the stream (or was it a creek) beside a Pine | (or was it an Oak) tree. LMAO!!!! |
Snakes are out and about
"Penny Morgan" wrote in message
m... | Well, it's Wednesday, and I just found my second snake of the season. My | cat just earned her keep. This one was a common Garter Snake and only a | baby (6"), but I found it dead in the grass on my front lawn. | | It will be interesting to see how many snakes the cats will hunt down this | spring. I know that snakes are beneficial in keeping mice, voles and moles | at bay, but I already have 3 cats and a dog that do this for me. So it | doesn't hurt my feelings to find dead snakes. I just want to be able to | wander freely in my yard without stepping on one. Hubby says that snake might not be dead at all. In the cold weather they look dead, but they come "back ta life" when the weather warms up (or when ya bring 'em into the house to show 'em to your kids). grin Course, it might've just been a stick. ;o) You sure you didn't just call it a snake to make for a more interesting post? |
Snakes are out and about
On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 13:43:32 -0700, in article VB%ka.4723$2_3.2295@fed1read04,
Tom Gauldin wrote: Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:tO_ka.2023$W% My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once before I realised it and hopped on one foot It was probably just a corn snake and you imagined it to be a Copperhead, since it makes for a more interesting story. grin ... Amusing. Fortunately I had my amateur herpetologist husband with me. - Susan (hmmm, likes snakes, married me. interesting) |
Snakes are out and about
"Susan Hogarth" wrote in message
news:mW0la.2105$W%4.2533@www.newsranger.com... On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 13:43:32 -0700, in article VB%ka.4723$2_3.2295@fed1read04, Tom Gauldin wrote: Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:tO_ka.2023$W% My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once before I realised it and hopped on one foot It was probably just a corn snake and you imagined it to be a Copperhead, since it makes for a more interesting story. grin ... Amusing. Fortunately I had my amateur herpetologist husband with me. Isn't there an ointment nowadays for Herpetology? grin BTW, I have no fight with snakes at all, unless they're I perceive them as a threat (the cotton mouth) or they take my by surprise. I leave them alone, respect them for killing rodents and think they're interesting. However, when I'm surprised by one, or have one come at me, I react violently, which is probably a shame. -- Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV NEW EMAIL NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax |
Snakes are out and about
Tom Gauldin wrote:
"Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:mW0la.2105$W%4.2533@www.newsranger.com... On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 13:43:32 -0700, in article VB%ka.4723$2_3.2295@fed1read04, Tom Gauldin wrote: Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:tO_ka.2023$W% My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once before I realised it and hopped on one foot It was probably just a corn snake and you imagined it to be a Copperhead, since it makes for a more interesting story. grin ... Amusing. Fortunately I had my amateur herpetologist husband with me. Isn't there an ointment nowadays for Herpetology? grin Let's not go there ;-) BTW, I have no fight with snakes at all, unless they're I perceive them as a threat (the cotton mouth) or they take my by surprise. I leave them alone, respect them for killing rodents and think they're interesting. However, when I'm surprised by one, or have one come at me, I react violently, which is probably a shame. I am terrified of snakes. It's something I am working to overcome, because they are so beautiful and useful. However, my fear makes me an *excellent* snake spotter. Maybe that's why Bill married me :) (although on one of our first dates I nearly blundered into the rattlesnake (--NOT something else:) we were actually looking for. I was distracted by love :) -- Susan Hogarth |
Snakes are out and about
Susan Hogarth wrote:
I am terrified of snakes. It's something I am working to overcome, because they are so beautiful and useful. I grew up with snakes (and not just the two legged kind) so they don't bother me. One of the first snakes I remember having in the house was a beautiful indigo racer. We lived in Florida on a military base and the neighbor's kid kept all his snakes at our house because his mother wouldn't let him. OTOH, I was phobic about spiders. Standing and screaming was about as much as I was capable of doing. Now, despite being truly terrified of them jumping on me, I will scoop up spiders I find in the house and release them outside. Slowly but surely... Of course, any wolf spider that again stumbles into my house is a gonner. However, my fear makes me an *excellent* snake spotter. Maybe that's why Bill married me :) (although on one of our first dates I nearly blundered into the rattlesnake (--NOT something else:) we were actually looking for. I was distracted by love :) *smile* I've only ever seen one rattlesnake live and free. The guy was *huge* and was coiled up on a deadfall near the Columbia River in Washington State. My practical joker uncle offered to catch it for us so we could see it closer if we wanted... (The same unlce who smeared ham fat all over the bumper of his car so that when we got to the garbage dump to see the bears, we could see on up close. We did.) Susan s s himko at duke dot edu |
Snakes are out and about
"Susan Hogarth" wrote in message
news:mW0la.2105$W%4.2533@www.newsranger.com... On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 13:43:32 -0700, in article VB%ka.4723$2_3.2295@fed1read04, Tom Gauldin wrote: Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:tO_ka.2023$W% My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once before I realised it and hopped on one foot It was probably just a corn snake and you imagined it to be a Copperhead, since it makes for a more interesting story. grin ... Amusing. Fortunately I had my amateur herpetologist husband with me. Tom was just pointing out that even amateurs can get confused *snicker*. Lance |
Snakes are out and about
On Thu, 10 Apr 2003 10:30:47 -0400, in article
, Susan H. Simko wrote: Susan Hogarth wrote: I am terrified of snakes. It's something I am working to overcome, because they are so beautiful and useful. I grew up with snakes (and not just the two legged kind) so they don't bother me. I also grew up with them but I'm phobic of them. I sometimes wonder if such fears are at least partly under genetic control. Centi/millipedes also bother me quite a bit. ... OTOH, I was phobic about spiders. And I *adore* spiders, and don't fear them at all (except to fear hurting them. Standing and screaming was about as much as I was capable of doing. Now, despite being truly terrified of them jumping on me, I will scoop up spiders I find in the house and release them outside. Slowly but surely... It's nice to get over those things. I have a friend who grew up in SLC, Utah, and had never seen ticks. For the longest time she would call me up to de-tick her dog if she finds one on him. On the other hand, she had never seen a firefly (which is a bizzarre thought to me) and only half-believed in them before she came here. She was delighted to find that they were as wonderful as described. Of course, any wolf spider that again stumbles into my house is a gonner. :-( However, my fear makes me an *excellent* snake spotter. Maybe that's why Bill married me :) (although on one of our first dates I nearly blundered into the rattlesnake (--NOT something else:) we were actually looking for. I was distracted by love :) *smile* I've only ever seen one rattlesnake live and free. Actually, come to think of it, this was probably my only rattler, too (so far). The guy was *huge* and was coiled up on a deadfall near the Columbia River in Washington State. Ours also (Bill had seen it there before, that's how we knew to look for it there) was huge, and coiled up happily snoozing on a large flat rock. She wasn't inclined to move just because a couple of large mammals were gawking at her. She didn't even deign to threaten us. My practical joker uncle offered to catch it for us so we could see it closer if we wanted... Apparently when my husband took one of his herp classes they were supposed to collect snakes to show the instructor they had them, and then return them. I'm not sure if Bill collected a rattler, but he did say he collected a copperhead - his instructer was a little less than 100% enthused about that :) Now he doesn't routinely handle poisonous snakes, but if one was in someone's garage I suppose he would to save it. He does routinely pick up non-venonous snakes to say hi and photograph them. He is so gentle most of them don't seem at all bothered by it. Sometimes he has a hard time putting them down if it's a cool day :) (The same unlce who smeared ham fat all over the bumper of his car so that when we got to the garbage dump to see the bears, we could see on up close. We did.) Ah, a park ranger's nightmare ;-) - Susan |
Snakes are out and about
Susan Hogarth wrote:
I also grew up with them but I'm phobic of them. I sometimes wonder if such fears are at least partly under genetic control. Centi/millipedes also bother me quite a bit. I know they can be learned. I learned my spider phobia from my mother. She still can't bare the thought of me picking up a spider on a piece of paper to dumb it outdoors. It's nice to get over those things. I have a friend who grew up in SLC, Utah, and had never seen ticks. For the longest time she would call me up to de-tick her dog if she finds one on him. On the other hand, she had never seen a firefly (which is a bizzarre thought to me) and only half-believed in them before she came here. She was delighted to find that they were as wonderful as described. I really don't like ticks either. tick=spider and bad spider at that. I remember being woken up by the feel of a tick crawling on me in the middle of the night years ago when my ex snuck our german shepherd into the bedroom. (I'm allergic to dogs and the one place I can not have them are in the bedroom. Of course he always thought I was lying.) Of course, any wolf spider that again stumbles into my house is a gonner. :-( This one was particularly dastardly as she dumped her babies before she made a run from us. Several months later, I discovered a dead wolf spider in the bottom of a nuked cup of coffee. (dark midnight blue coffee cup stored on the bottom shelf of the kitchen island cabinet) I presume it was one of those babies all grown up. (The same uncle who smeared ham fat all over the bumper of his car so that when we got to the garbage dump to see the bears, we could see one up close. We did.) Ah, a park ranger's nightmare ;-) Not in this case - just a public menace. *grin* We were truly at the city garbage dump in Colville, WA. Most nights you will see black, brown and cinnamon bears all down there munching away. Susan s h simko at duke dot edu |
Snakes are out and about
In article , Susan H. Simko wrote:
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 Right on!!! -- Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom) |
Snakes are out and about
In article tO_ka.2023$W%4.2263@www.newsranger.com, Susan Hogarth wrote:
On Wed, 09 Apr 2003 19:27:03 GMT, in article , Lance R. wrote: "Susan H. Simko" wrote in message ... 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. Or the local pets. It's not very responsible to let your pet rodents run free. They should always be supervised for outdoor play. My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. The dogs and I nearly stepped on a young copperhead once before I realised it and hopped on one foot (the one that was *not* just about to step on the snake) to the side. Of course Bill was there with the camera in a flash :) This was at Schenck Forest, where we have seen several copperheads and many watersnakes. The copperheads are *gorgeous*, although of course it doesn't pay to get too close to them. But they don't seem inclined to attack. I used to walk at Schenck with the dogs every evening, and we often saw snakes and many people had their dogs off-lead, but I don't recall any bites. I may try to find the pictures Bill took and post them. I even made up a flyer with pics of copperheads and water snakes so people could have an easier time identifying them - myself included, as without Bill I am hopeless to ID any snake but the copperhead reliably. Well, I can also pretty reliably ID worm snakes :) - Susan Far more people die from insect bites than snake bites in the US. I don't know if ANY die from snake bites because the head for the doctor immediately. But wasp and bee stings they don't and an hour later they are dead of allergick reaction. -- Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom) |
Snakes are out and about
In article , Penny Morgan wrote:
Well, it's Wednesday, and I just found my second snake of the season. My cat just earned her keep. This one was a common Garter Snake and only a baby (6"), but I found it dead in the grass on my front lawn. It will be interesting to see how many snakes the cats will hunt down this spring. I know that snakes are beneficial in keeping mice, voles and moles at bay, but I already have 3 cats and a dog that do this for me. So it doesn't hurt my feelings to find dead snakes. I just want to be able to wander freely in my yard without stepping on one. So stepping on a garter nake is going to keep you from out of your yard? Kind of a callus attitude IMHO. Just observing that it was just the food chain in action would be more sensible. This is my first spring in this house. I'll keep you posted. Penny "Penny Morgan" wrote in message ... Just wanted to make people aware that I found my first baby (12") Copperhead Snake on Saturday. My cat was playing with it and it was coiled up with just its head out of the grass. Make sure you watch your step and wear shoes in the grass. I live in N. Raleigh near Mt. Vernon Church and Creedmoor Rd. Penny -- Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom) |
Snakes are out and about
Susan Hogarth wrote:
On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 13:43:32 -0700, in article VB%ka.4723$2_3.2295@fed1read04, Tom Gauldin wrote: Susan Hogarth" wrote in message news:tO_ka.2023$W% My dogs seem to ignore snakes, although I have seen other dogs who react strongly to them. My dogs, cairn terriers, go for anything that moves quickly: snakes, rabbits, birds, mice, hell, even deer. cl, wondering what Lorien would do with a deer if she could catch one |
Snakes are out and about
Susan H. Simko wrote:
OTOH, I was phobic about spiders. Heh. I had a black widow as a pet when I was an adolescent. My parents made me keep her in the garage, and one day I came home to find her released (and probably smushed under my dad's shoe). Standing and screaming was about as much as I was capable of doing. Now, despite being truly terrified of them jumping on me, I will scoop up spiders I find in the house and release them outside. Slowly but surely... Of course, any wolf spider that again stumbles into my house is a gonner. I'll pretty much scoop up any spider and release it outside. Though I tend to be pretty careful these days because I can*not* see the violin shape one is supposed to be able to see. cl I've only ever seen one rattlesnake live and free. The guy was *huge* Not a rattler, but the largest snake I've ever seen was crossing the road as I was on the road home--in northern Chatham County--from my army draft physical in 1972. (Thus, I remember both quite well!) My friend, John, saw the snake start to cross the road, and he has the fear that it will slither into the car somehow, plus I don't like killing animals, so I stopped. By the time it's head was on the right hand side of the road, its tail still hadn't hit the left hand side. I was amazed at how long it was. It was also fairly large in circumference. cl |
Snakes are out and about
C.L. Lassiter wrote:
I'll pretty much scoop up any spider and release it outside. Though I tend to be pretty careful these days because I can*not* see the violin shape one is supposed to be able to see. Well that doesn't make a lot of sense, now does it? I'm referring to the shape on the back of the Brown Recluse that all, save me, can see! cl |
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