I went outside this evening to watch the thundering clouds that never dropped a bit of rain on us...and found this guy enjoying my soaker hose and fountain.
visitor to the garden this evening
He seemed to be quite happy there. I let him be, I figured he wants water as bad as everyone else right now. Didn't expect to see one in town that big.
What kind is it?
It is a copperhead...about 3 feet long.
I'm one of those who gets the heebie-jeebies just looking at a snake. Yukkkkk!
Ann
That is one huge copperhead! I had a good size one in my woods that got away & now I'm watching where I step whenever I go outside! I don't mind most snakes since they are beneficial, but the copperheads & water moccasins need to find another place to live.
Nice, Kim!
He is gorgeous, Kim, thanks for sharing.
Carla
We killed one just a while ago. We didn't kill it on purpose. He was under a container and apparently when my lift operator picked it up, the snake went under one of the tires. I was here, in my office, and I heard my dog barking (he rarely barks), I went out to see what all the commotion was and he was getting after something over where the container had been sitting. I went over and saw it was a copperhead and my first thought was that my dog had been bit. I called him over to me and looked him over while scolding him. He's never a bad dog, I just don't like him messing with snakes for obvious reasons. Luckily, the snake's head had been crushed by the lift and he was unable to bite my dog. I also found the biggest bullfrog I've ever seen on dryland. That bullfrog was lucky, too! The copperhead would have had a good lunch with him. I would post pics but they are pretty gruesome. Just wanted to tell my snake story for today. Copperheads really are beautiful snakes!
Kim, I would definately relocate it if you didn't want to kill it. What if it bit you or a child in the neighborhood? I am sure there is a creek somewhere that needs less frogs.
Yea...that's true Sheila but I am not about to be the one to relocate it. I'm not that brave! It is not the first I have seen but it is the biggest so far. There is a kind of wild area between my backyard and the next street over, I am betting they live in there. Along with the rodent that keeps getting into my veggie garden. I guess as long as it is dry around here anything damp is going to attract wildlife of all kinds. I just have to keep that in mind when running my soaker hoses and pulling weeds. Luckily there aren't any small children near my yard, the closest are on the next street. Most of my street is college kids.
I going to tell your Daddy next time I see him, that you are pulling weeds with Copperheads in your yard!! LOL!!
Do hope you are very careful and wear gloves. Are you coming to the East TX RU?
Kim,
That would make one pretty hat band. I get so many in the yard every year. Our Weimaraner got one that I was startled by and even though I started treating him right away with Benadryl, Ledum and Hypericum, he swelled up real bad. The ledum and Hypericum(homeopathic remedies) kept us from even finding the bite spot. Look how bad he looked just one hour later.
Here's how he looked that morning before being bitten.
Tami (Oh by the way, How are you doing?) :-)
Lol Sheila...dad knows all too well! He's been running into all kinds of critters up there while working on the new place. I am careful though, I grew up on a farm and learned early to be critter-wise. I am not coming to the East TX RU, it's a bit far for me to drive and the budget is tight as a grad student. I am going to try and make it to the one in Houston though.
:) Kim
Do you still need some milkweed plants? Is there someone who is coming I could send them by?
I am going to both if you want to send the milkweed.
Tabitha
Actually, I haven't had any more cats so I am good for now. But thanks for asking!
:) Kim
Thanks for the offer Tabitha.
Kim..Glad to hear you have settled down and they aren't starving!
Now, how much parsley do you have? LOL! BSTs are in abundance here! I have 32 in chrysalis and 23 munching right now! What is strange, I have only seen a Black Swallowtail on my plants one time! No nectaring at all. I am beginning to wonder if they are coming during the night! LOL!
Yea...I've got 15 total, most have pupated thank goodness, only 4 more to go. My parsley is about a nub compared to this spring. BSTs are the only thing I have had success raising and releasing so far. Only one monarch pupated successfully but didn't eclose right so maybe in the fall I can try again.
Kim
I only had four Monarchs in early spring, but I plan on a bumper crop this fall. I have planted about 30 or so plants I started from seeds.