I really, really understand the importance of our entire eco system.I hate snakes.
As I looked out my home office/studio window I watched two snakes hunt. In that white pipe lives brand new baby bunnies. I watched the bunnies freak out...differently then they normally freak out. As I watched them, and while I've only seen one other snake in the yard a couple of years ago, I thought "snake." As soon as I thought it I saw IT. The first thing I wanted to see was the tail, since I needed to make sure it wasn't a rattle snake. I also grabbed my camera, had to quickly attach the zoom lens and began snapping pictures. I saw that it didn't have a rattle, but I couldn't identify the snake. I was almost hyperventilating as I took the pictures and was terribly worried about the bunnies. I moved to two other rooms at the front of my house to follow IT. Once it disappeared around a corner of my house and towards our garage I called hubby to let him know that a snake was lurking.
Then I off loaded the pictures to my computer. Once I had the pictures I began searching for what type of snake it was. I came to the conclusion it was a gopher snake. But I wasn't absolutely sure. So I uploaded the pictures to my flickr account. I twittered the link and the person who answered me was a fellow etsyian whose husband is a biologist. He identified it as a Bull snake, which is also a Gopher snake. A constrictor that can unhinge its jaw so it can eat "big" things.Now in terms of our eco system, this is a "good" snake. It helps rid the world of rodents. We live in the country, next to a orange orchard and cotton field...there are a lot of mice and gophers. I just wish the snake would eat those rather than the bunnies. Although there is a huge population of bunnies....but they are so much cuter then the other animals.
I think there were two of them. I watched another cross the yard and slither into my automatic hose reel. I will never touch that again. I can barely walk out my front door to my mail box.
Did I happen to mention that I hate snakes?
15 reviews:
This is interesting! Thanks for sharing! I dont' really like snakes either.. but looks like these creepy crawlies are enjoying its habitat!
http://be-a-glitzer.blogspot.com/
wow! eeek i hate snakes too!! i dont know how you even took pictures i think i would have been screaming! lol and never to step foot outside again! we would often get snakes in our trees in texas, would always freak me out!! dont even want to think about the ones we dont see!!
poor baby bunnies! bad snake!
We have backyard wildlife, salamanders, lizards, nesting birds and insects galore. We love seeing them. Though I'm not afraid of snakes, I'd be a cautious front yard walker if I saw those bad boys too.
On the upside, these snakes sometimes hunt other snakes and they are mostly daytime snakes -- you won't have to worry about being startled by them after dark. But I would definitely be startled by any snake that size!
I have a rat phobia (even typing that made me gag). Interestingly, whenever I get these weird tingling thoughts of snakes and feel like I should be seeing them, a rat shows up. Snakes= rat-eaters. Snakes= friend ;]
Oh, the power of Twitter!
"Although there is a huge population of bunnies....but they are so much cuter then the other animals."
~ This sentence made me laugh! Eat the ugly animals, not the cute ones!
Oh snakes give me the heeebee jeebee's too, totally understand how you were feeling watching and taking pictures of them.
We have them in our yard at the farm too, garter species, harmless to us, but~ still a snake.
I scream each time they startle me when I walk in the yard.
Great story to tell on your blog tho. He didn't know he would become a movie star on a blog. Hmmm.
Tanya
I haven't seen the snakes for almost two days now. Hubby went out and checked the hose reel and it wasn't there. I would actually rather know where they are, rather then not.
run bunnies run. poor baby bunnies.
I am scared to death of snakes, I even had a hard time looking at the pictures, lol! I too would have trouble going out in my yard after that ;(
Oh dear....I have bears and cougars where I live, but snakes just seem so darn sneaky!
we saw a baby gopher snake the other day. does that mean there are more around? and now you have me worried about the king snake - could it have been a coral? ... I don't think so .... did I say that I TOUCHED it???
Poor girl. I would live in terror knowing they were outside eating my bunnies :(
my sons just informed me that there is a "giant" rat snake living in my flower garden; he's made his home under my pinks.
er ...
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