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Spring is in the air.
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Author:  snakeman [ Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:23 am ]
Post subject:  Spring is in the air.

Snakes have been dormant through the winter and as the thaws take hold they begin to stir with two things at the top of the priority list. First, they've slowed their metabolisms down so much during the cold months that they haven't needed to feed. So it's locate prey if you want to survive.

Second, it's mating season, so on any given forage for food, a male is likely to get sidetracked by the pheromone trail left by any female in the area. Lots of folks mistakenly assume that snakes travel in pairs, because the only significant sighting they've had (or their loved one who related the tale had) was this time of year. If you see two adults in the same area, it is likely that Specimen A is in hot pursuit of Specimen B.

Until the night temps begin to stay in the high 50's most snakes in the South will stay near escape routes leading underground both for fleeing predators, and for going below the frost line if the temps drop. However, up North the very first big time snake activity in the country is beginning (or will soon begin) to happen.

There are Garter Snakes with antifreeze in their veins up there, and they've been known to be active, very active, when there's still snow on the ground. In some areas a spectacle quite unique can be experienced. It's called a mating ball, with a very popular female sitting calmly in the middle of of a writhing mass of eager males. When this is going on it is possible to see hundreds of Garter Snakes (harmless and beneficial snakes named after the stripe down the middle of the garters ladies used to employ to hold up stockings in the days before nylon) being very animated in one small area.

Author:  northwesterner [ Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Spring is in the air.

I've been digging up the existing beds and digging up turf to extend beds and have met several of the little native rough earth snakes. They usually move underground again very quickly, but are a lovely sign of healthy soil.

Image This is an online photo from Andrew Hollander on Flickr, looks like he's a local photographer who uses a creative commons license for non-commercial sharing and with attribution. His link is here in case this photo link isn't durable.

Author:  snakeman [ Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Spring is in the air.

Yep. They're cute, harmless and feed primarily on earthworms, so they can be found in many of the same places. Under boards, stepstones, piles of leaves, etc. Most people mistakenly call them Garden Snakes. Ah, the circle of life...

Author:  NickTarabay [ Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Spring is in the air.

The snake looks beautiful !

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