This morning I heard my neighbor frantically trying to discipline her dog. I glanced over the fence and saw that the young husky had a huge king snake in her mouth. I was shocked at the circumference of it. The puppy was tossing it around joyfully. There was blood dripping down from its body. I asked the woman if she needed help, and offered to get a shovel. She thanked me, but declined. The snake died. The dog had already chewed its tail and pierced its body, and she didn't get there in time.
I don't know why my first instinct was to kill it. My mind flashed back to a scene of my uncle "protecting us" when I was a child. They had found a huge snake coiled in a corner of in their Southern California backyard. He cut off its head with a shovel. In retrospect, I realize that we should have just left it. Snakes kill numerous rodents. They keep the population of rats, mice, gophers, and other burrowers under control. We can really use their help, as gardeners. For some reason, many people are petrified of snakes. We treat them like wild animals that will attack and kill us. This is a false belief, although rattlers can be dangerous. I have gone by one on horseback, and it didn't react to our group. We stayed calm and quiet.
While walking Lula this afternoon, another neighbor told me that his wife had seen three rattlesnakes in their backyard in the past two days! They need to bask in the sun as they digest their food. He has two small children, so he has been catching the rattlesnakes with a noose, and taking them to the Placerita Nature Center.
So far, I haven't see any around here. I am glad that I have been religiously digging up all of the weeds in my backyard. Snakes like to hide in the tall grass, and we've had a tremendous amount of rain this season. They are generally beneficial, and I need to remember that in the future. Do you have any where you live?
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No snakes here and I'm thankful as I'd likely not want to be outside!! I hope you continue to have good luck and none invade your garden space.
ReplyDeleteLove your curtains!
X Chy
Hi Chy, Most of them are harmless. I do have some visitors burrowing underground, so I appreciate the snakes, owls, and hawks. It's fun to observe the ecosystem at work.
DeleteOh my! Rattlesnakes! We have them in Pennsylvania, but not in Delaware. My dad used to kill them if he saw one. Our first instinct is the same. True they do good but are scary. I heard you are supposed to train your dog to be afraid of them. That is one brave dog! We had a neighbor once who was dismayed when we killed one. Sometimes you have to keep wildlife away from your home. Andrea
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea, The neighbor's dog had a king snake in her mouth. I couldn't believe the size of it. They hold classes here for dogs and dog owners, training them to deal with rattlesnakes.
DeleteYes, we have quite a problem with rattlesnakes in our neighborhood since we border on the reserve. It has been a few years since we had a rattler in the yard, but we do get gopher snakes and rosy boas often. I am terrified of snakes even though I know they are doing good.
ReplyDeleteHi Anita, It sounds like you have a healthy garden. I think part of the terror is the part of us that knows snakes in the jungle have swallowed humans whole. It must be buried in our cellular memory.
DeleteSo far, I haven't seen any snakes in my garden. I don't think I'd want to kill it if I see one, either. I'd just probably leave it alone and go back, inside. I'd probably call animal control if I saw one inside the house!
ReplyDeleteHi Bless, That sounds like a wise plan.
ReplyDeleteI think I would be terrified to be honest. We don't really have many snakes in England
ReplyDeleteYes, it's hard for me to imagine snakes in English gardens, Cherie.
Deletewe get many varieties around here, i used to worry over them & yes, have killed one or 2 in the past & of cos B.B. was known to go after them, put her in the hospital for a week after a brown snake attack not long after we moved here.
ReplyDeleteRed Belly Black snakes eat the Eastern Browns & are extremely territorial. had to call the snake lady a few times (she's retired now) as i had carpet snakes soaking in the pets water dishes, think i posted that lot on the blog... the snake collector told me things about snakes i never knew; there usually is only one or 2 in any given roaming territory, they keep other snakes away as well.
yes, i'm fairly scared of them even though i get them visiting inside my house quite often, it's actually against the law to kill snakes here, so if they become a problem you have to get them relocated. have a nest of rats & mice under the chook shed, the snakes get under there as well, have only ever lost one chook in the 18yrs here to snake bite, the rest die of natural causes or old age.
great post
thanx for sharing
Some people here have them under their houses and chicken coops, too, Selina. Everything in nature works together. I've heard of dogs getting bitten by them in this area, too. It can get very expensive.
ReplyDeleteI am not a lover of snakes although I don't want them harmed. I had a black racer in my house once, sitting inside the tracks to my sliding glass door. I didn't kill it but swept it outside as fast as I could!
ReplyDeleteThat was wise, Mereknits. We have lots of lizards here, as well. I think it's a good sign that our gardens are healthy.
DeleteOh my, thankfully no. I'd just run, I fear, if I saw one.
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