![]() ![]() Walther is the GardenComm Gold medal winner for writing and a five-time recipient of the GardenComm Silver Medal of Achievement, the National Garden Bureau’s Exemplary Journalism Award and she is the author of “Florida Gardening on the Go.” She is a member of GardenComm and the National Garden Bureau. Step aside, and let them pass, the snakes have got important work to do for you. ![]() We will even go so far as to say that if you happen to see one of these gentle creatures in your garden, you should consider yourself lucky. Come October they will be hightailing it for higher ground to find a cozy and dry spot to hole up for the winter. Now is the time of year when the critters are leaving their winter hibernation hideouts and are heading for their summer environs. ![]() It is just a normal part of a reptile's cycle, so don't think it's a grand invasion. ![]() This is just a reminder that March and October are the months when you are most likely to encounter snakes, no matter where you live. Let them slither on by and no one gets hurt. Of course, a hasty retreat is always your best defense. There’s no sense in taking unnecessary chances with a snake that could be dangerous. One of my favorites is the University Press of Florida’s “Florida’s Snakes A Guide to Their Identification and Habits” by R.D. A good book on snakes should be in every gardener’s library, so that any snake encountered can be easily and quickly identified. It is rarely a good idea to kill a snake. Though they possess a deadly poisonous venom, coral snakes have tiny jaws, and they actually have to chew to inject their venom. They are indeed scarce in number and rarely exceed 18 inches in length. There are quite a few look-a-likes in the serpent world.Īnd even the dreaded coral snakes aren’t as dangerous as most fear. Aggressive but harmless, the brown water snake looks a lot like a water moccasin. Another snake that has an unfortunate resemblance to a venomous snake is the brown water snake. Instead, these gentle little snakes are one of your best garden friends, eating small rodents and many bugs. Scarlet king snakes are most often mistaken for coral snakes, and unfortunately many are killed by the uninformed who take them to be deadly poisonous. Mostly we see garter snakes or rat snakes, black racers or, if I’m lucky, a scarlet king perhaps. Though at first sight they do tend to raise goosebumps, I always appreciate the snakes that visit my gardens. Another fact is that as more and more of this area is developed, snakes and other wildlife are becoming fewer and fewer as their habitats are taken away. Leave them alone, and they'll slither on their way. No matter how you feel about snakes, I can assure you that to a snake, seeing you is not high on their list of preferred encounters either. Snakes are much more an integral part of this food chain than you are. They were here first, and are very well-adapted to this environment. If she ever spied a snake, she'd grab a hoe or broom or any long-handled weapon of any description and flail away until the poor thing was nothing but a flap of snakeskin.īut like it or not, snakes of all stripes are part of our Florida landscapes. Like that baseball-bat-wielding, snake-clobbering female of the “B.C.” cartoon fame, in her world the only good snake was a dead one. I can recall my own mother's reaction to every snake she ever encountered. More: Garden science 101: Lessons in fertilizer More: Small changes can help improve your well-being while protecting the environment March and October are the two months of the year in which you are more likely to counter a serpent because they are months when these reptiles move from and to hibernation. Most folks would sooner blast a snake to smithereens than to step aside and let it pass. They may be feared, but snakes just don’t get any respect. They are the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the world of wildlife. ![]()
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