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snakes
Apr 12, 2022 20:39:22 GMT -5
Post by Wheelgarden on Apr 12, 2022 20:39:22 GMT -5
I'm good with all my snakes, except for the pit vipers like copperheads and rattlesnakes. The neighbors sometimes find Eastern Diamondback rattlers with heads as big as a fist.
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snakes
Apr 16, 2022 20:17:09 GMT -5
Post by emmsmommy on Apr 16, 2022 20:17:09 GMT -5
Second garter snake this week. This one was in the garden this evening. Went back and checked after I finished covering everything and suspect he's curled up under the row cover somewhere.
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Post by madamezil on Apr 17, 2022 8:48:12 GMT -5
I am sooo jealous. I haven't seen a Garter snake here in the city for over 50 years. They are all gone . I was born and raised in this city and can remember everybodys garden having a least a few of them. I guess that's the price you pay for development and progress.
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snakes
Apr 17, 2022 11:42:11 GMT -5
Post by breezygardener on Apr 17, 2022 11:42:11 GMT -5
Yup, in the 26 years we've been here I've never seen a Garter snake. Small Ringneck snakes & even Redbellies & Worm snakes, but no Garters. They're probably around, but may often fall prey to the Black rat snakes, which definitely rule in our area.
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snakes
Apr 17, 2022 15:58:27 GMT -5
Post by Wheelgarden on Apr 17, 2022 15:58:27 GMT -5
Black and Rat snakes do clear their neighborhood of many other snakes and vermin. But they're also one of the reasons I can't raise chickens. Oh, well, the good with the bad, as it goes.
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snakes
Apr 17, 2022 16:28:55 GMT -5
Post by emmsmommy on Apr 17, 2022 16:28:55 GMT -5
We occasionally see a black snake but it's usually garter snakes in the yard and garden. We also occasionally see a copperhead or two every other year. If I spot one of them it will be eliminated immediately if at all possible. We think one of our cats died from a possible copperhead bite last year.
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snakes
Apr 21, 2022 14:08:23 GMT -5
Post by gianna on Apr 21, 2022 14:08:23 GMT -5
I saw a new snake in the garden today. A California Whipsnake. About 2.5 feet long, dark/black with two yellow stripes along its sides. Slender and fast. Non venomous. It was in one of the over-grown flower beds I was just clearing in front.
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snakes
Apr 21, 2022 15:59:29 GMT -5
Post by Wheelgarden on Apr 21, 2022 15:59:29 GMT -5
If I spot one of them it will be eliminated immediately if at all possible. I use an 18-inch machete for copperheads, if I'm close enough to them. If not, the trusty pistol works at a distance. Can't abide them, they're bad news.
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snakes
Apr 21, 2022 18:03:38 GMT -5
Post by martywny on Apr 21, 2022 18:03:38 GMT -5
If not, the trusty pistol works at a distance. Many years ago when I lived in North Carolina, I used a .357 magnum loaded with #9 shot cartridges for snakes. Not sure if you can still use or obtain those shot cartridges but they worked very well. I would get a 12" pattern at about 10'
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Post by desertwoman on Apr 21, 2022 18:13:54 GMT -5
new snake in the garden today. A California Whipsnake. I came upon a whip snake here in my yard, several years ago. Scared the bejesus out of me. They whip fast and furious! It seemed mean but I had never seen one before so didn't know if it was safe or not. It took me completely by surprise. I did what any brave woman would do: I ran!
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snakes
Apr 21, 2022 19:11:44 GMT -5
Post by gianna on Apr 21, 2022 19:11:44 GMT -5
I came upon a whip snake here in my yard, several years ago. Scared the bejesus out of me. They whip fast and furious! It seemed mean but I had never seen one before so didn't know if it was safe or not. It took me completely by surprise. I did what any brave woman would do: I ran! In all the years of gardening and exploring in nature, I never had even heard of them. Fortunately the one in the front yard was already running from me and quickly disappeared into a bush. Then a few hours later, I saw one in the back yard! I assume it was the same one, but I'm not sure. The one in the back I had a long look at, and it was definitely over 3 feet long, and just looked larger. The one in the front I'm pretty sure was not that long, though it was moving fast. So 2 new snakes in one day? I doubt it. But maybe they were mating or something. I hope it/they are just passing through. When I was reading about it, the article said they were non venomous, but that they can strike. I don't much like snakes, so I'll continue to be careful around all of them. Esp the rattlers. Ack!
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snakes
Apr 22, 2022 21:35:34 GMT -5
Post by binnylou on Apr 22, 2022 21:35:34 GMT -5
Today was this year’s first interaction with a snake. Big bull snake, 3 feet plus. I encouraged him to continue in the direction he was headed, but he wanted to argue.
When I left the area, he was still in strike mode. About an hour later, I heard a hooting/cackling’ party from the local owls. Snake should keep an eye on the skies. He was out in the area of the windbreak where the owls hang out.
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snakes
Apr 23, 2022 8:50:57 GMT -5
Post by gianna on Apr 23, 2022 8:50:57 GMT -5
I encouraged him to continue in the direction he was headed, but he wanted to argue. I'll use a stream of water to encourage a rattler to leave the area. In the right circumstance, that can be effective. Fortunately I only see one every couple years. Would owls go after such a large snake? I've seen a roadrunner carry off a baby gopher snake (a foot long and thin) Come to think of it, years ago a red-tail hawk was flying/carrying a snake of size, and in our collective horror, he dropped it from on-high onto an adjacent tennis court. We all went to look. The likely gopher snake no longer had a head.
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Post by breezygardener on Apr 23, 2022 11:38:00 GMT -5
I once saw a large Red-tail hawk fly across our yard carrying a thick, what must have been 3'-long, Black rat snake. And a couple of years ago I rescued an immense Black rat snake in our yard that was being attacked by two crows. Reptiles can't seem to catch a break.
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snakes
Apr 23, 2022 12:42:56 GMT -5
Post by emmsmommy on Apr 23, 2022 12:42:56 GMT -5
Just a few weeks ago I saw a hawk carrying what I believe was a black snake.
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