Spring Snakes

I met this guy today in my side yard. My wife and i were cleaning out a flower bed so we could put some fresh mulch down when she yelped, “OH!”

My first reaction was to grab the shovel and pin him down. Once we took a look at him we saw that he wasn’t a poisonous snake and we scooped him up with a rake and took him over to the wooded area near our house. Basically we didn’t want him sneaking back up on us while we were working in the flower garden this afternoon.

It’s important to remember NOT to kill snakes that live in your yard. They are a very crucial part of the ecosystem. This may seem like a crazy statement at the moment you meet up with one of these guys, but they will save you quite a bit of trouble with pests. For instance, the snake we saw today is an Earth Snake. They live mainly on worms and grubs. Worms and grubs are also the main diet of moles, which we have had a major problem with. So if “earthy” sticks around and has a few babies with “mrs. earthy” this year, maybe we can create some competition for “mr. mole”. I should write a childrens book.

Poisonous snakes are an important part of the ecosystem too. But I have to say I’ve killed my fair share of Copperheads. I don’t want to share my yard with them. Sorry snake lovers.

By the way, there are only four poisonous snakes in the U.S.

1. Rattlesnakes (28 species, diamond shaped head, rattle on the tail)
2. Copperheads (usually tannish with coppery brownish red saddle shaped markings, wide bodied as an adult)
3. Cottonmouths - also called a Water Moccasin, freshwater snake, aggressive)
4. Coral Snakes (2 species, brightly colored with red,yellow and black rings, BLACK NOSE)

1 comment April 1st, 2007