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pagan_gw

ack, eek and jeezefreakin'louise!!!

pagan
17 years ago

Darn near had a heart attack yesterday!! As I rounded the corner of the house to check on some roses, one of the 'soaker hoses' moved!! I screeched as the black snake (about 3-4 feet long) slithered it's scaly way under my back porch... where he probably plots his unholy designs to chomp my tender flesh!!

I can't understand why my yard is bloody bleedin snake central around here!! I told DH I want an outside kitty - a mountain lion or something!!

Comments (17)

  • anntn6b
    17 years ago

    Pagan,
    Breathe deeply.
    Now, repeat to yourself, until you believe it, "Black snakes are good. We lo.... tolerate black snakes. Black snankes eat rodents, and voles that eat roses. Black snakes are good."
    Repeat this every time you want to take an ax to a black snake.
    Your roses will thank you. Continue to breathe deeply.

    I've found this easier to do since we saw black snake heads sticking up out of mole runs where real damage had been done to some roses' roots.

    Ann in the not very wild.

  • jody
    17 years ago

    I need a black snake - I've been asking around hoping one of the farmers in the area will give me a baby. So close to the lake, we have a big problem with copperheads. Black snakes are territorial and will protect you from other snakes and kill rats and mice and all those nasties. And they do NOT chomp on humans! You are entirely safe:-) It is a very GOOD thing that this nice snake has chosen to live in your garden.

  • carla17
    17 years ago

    Black snakes may be good but they're &*&^^% scary to see in your yard.
    I sympathize Pagan, I always say if one comes too close I'll have a heart attack. You poor thing.

    Carla

  • zeffyrose
    17 years ago

    And I was worried about Bambi and Thumper----

    Florence

  • msjam2
    17 years ago

    Yesterday I found a copperhead, it's about 10 inches long and 1/2 wide, yuck. I was told to chop it's head off... yeah right, like I'm gonna go out of my way to find it again. Ewww.

  • paparoseman
    17 years ago

    I can always remember walking along a stream in Georgia and suddenly seeing a Cottonmouth from about four feet away. It turned and dived into the stream rather than make an example of me. It was as thick as a soda can through the middle.

    Up here we don't even have garter snakes in the garden, just slugs and European garden snails.

    Lance

  • carla17
    17 years ago

    Lance, I have heard about those slugs from my sister who lived in Portland.
    msjam, there is a saying that when you see babies the mama is not far away. Please if you see it again, kill that sucka. I DO NOT do snakes at all. Sometimes I even visualize leaves as snakes and so forth. Me laughing hard and think Pagan's influencing my crazy mood.

    Carla

  • msjam2
    17 years ago

    Carla, do you know how big it can get? I'm going to have to keep my cats indoor for now then. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

  • orchids2000
    17 years ago

    Info on Copperhead snakes

    We have timber rattlers and the black snakes (which are down right friendly). :) Actually the blacks won't hang around if they see you the Timbers will stake their territory a bit more around here. Good rodent control though and with the woods behind us I will take the rodent control.

  • jody
    17 years ago

    msjam2 - found a copperhead under a big potted rose. Just left it there until I mentioned it to my DH, who gave me an emphatic lesson in identifying copperheads and made said snake dead. A few weeks later a copperhead killed our outdoor cat (he came with the house and I was trying to teach him about indoors). I am more cautious of snakes now - I think the copperhead sightings came to 9 or 10 for last summer. A black snake would be a welcome sight.

  • msjam2
    17 years ago

    After googling, we found that it's not copperhead but a Texas brown snake, whew! Thank God.

    But but but... I will definitely keep an eye on every single thing that moves around me, now that I know that copperheads are quite common around here.

  • carla17
    17 years ago

    I have terrible memories of going to the lake where an aunt lived on holidays. One Easter several uncles went snake hunting, why did I go. There were nests of cotton mouths, at least they shot them. I think that's one reason I'm afraid of those creatures. I will not kill a black snake though. Pagan, wanna get scared, there's supposed to be CA king snake that will chase people.

    Carla

  • pete41
    17 years ago

    The black racers live in our teas and chinas down here.My step son was visiting last week.He was sunbathing near MvH and one slithered out to get a little sol.Momma went out to reassure him it was harmless.

  • pagan
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    oh my gawd, now ya'll want me to WELCOME the critter to my garden!! I suppose NEXT you'll have me knitting little snake cosies to keep it toasty on cool nights???

    I think the legless wonders like my garden cus it is full of shrubs, lizards, sunny spots and no weed whackers or lawn mowers machining away their nests... sigh. OK, I'll TRY to be calm about this, but I am NOT changing the name from Rose Heyell to Snake Heaven!!

  • harryshoe zone6 eastern Pennsylvania
    17 years ago

    Pagan,
    It is apparent that you and some of the others need serpentine sensitivity training.

  • meredith_e Z7b, Piedmont of NC, 1000' elevation
    17 years ago

    LOL, I'm a snake lover, too and giggle when folks get the willies. We had a creek as a kid and I'd catch them every day if they so obliged. Brought back a baby moccassin in a pot at six and wasn't supposed to catch them anymore!

    Still, I'm terribly sorry that "he probably plots his unholy designs to chomp my tender flesh!!" bwahaha.

    Black racers will chase a person... far! Now, OK that's aack!

    Last fall my neighbor called me to remove a 3 foot black snake from under her birdfeeder. I got close but the squealing kids lost it when he started towards me to escape and I fell down giggling. The snake got away in the ivy, of course. Some Crocodile Hunter I'd make.

  • ronda_in_carolina
    17 years ago

    Just today I picked up an old rose pot that was against the house for most of the winter. No idea why ...but I lifted it to see if there was anything on the bottom of the pot. There...at eye level ....as in RIGHT in front of my face...was a HUGE black widow. Truely the biggest I have ever encountered. The body was the size of a marble and just as shiny. She didnt move...I didnt move... Then I walked quickly to the drive way and set the pot down hard.

    I was all itchy and creepy crawly for about an hour. ACK!!

    ronda