Gratuitous adorable lamb photo because there are no photos of yesterday’s discovery. The good news is our guardian dogs killed a snake in our pasture… the bad news is there was a serpent in our pasture!!! I hate this time of year, and the rest of the warm months when those legless lizards are on the move. I grew up in Florida and was terrorized by them my entire childhood. Chased around the yard by one? Yep. Slammed one in the front door trying to get in? Check. 7 foot rattler waiting for us at our bus stop? Yep, and a deputy had to come shoot it before they let us of the school bus. Coral snakes in the yard? More than once. And hognose rattlers. And diamondbacks. Oh, and the water moccasins when we lived on the lake. What’s that under the refrigerator? Lovely discovery. Just last year I dug one up in a flower bed with a hand trowel. My heart almost burst open! At least I can spot one a mile away now, I think my brain constantly scans the ground for them. Thank goodness Brian’s not afraid of them! If he was, we’d probably have to move somewhere really cold.
Good News, Bad News
07 Apr 2012 10 Comments
Missing Willow Farm 
Apr 07, 2012 @ 07:45:12
Snakes in the grass… reminds me of work…. stay safe and let the dogs do the finding. – Lo
Apr 07, 2012 @ 08:36:51
Ahhhh! I’m terrified of those slithery bastards and the worst thing I’ve ever come across is an 18″ garter snake. You’re a total hero compared to me.
Apr 07, 2012 @ 08:51:58
Good doggies! What kind did they get?
Apr 07, 2012 @ 08:54:26
Who the hell cares…it was a snake! I didn’t get close enough and it was gone before I got out of the barn. Brian is VERY good to me.
Apr 07, 2012 @ 10:19:45
Oooo…I’m sad hearing this. I actually like snakes. And…so…here comes my rant. Sorry in advance.
You know, statistically, you’re more likely to be killed by a dog, cat or even horse than a snake. Most snakes get a bad rep. Most will only strike to defend themselves against humans. They realize you’re bigger than them. They’d rather flee. One reason rattlesnakes have rattles is to warn you they’re there. Most species of snakes around the world are nonvenomous and completely harmless. Most that are venomous live in Australia (So, I’ll give the people living there a break in hating them.) Of the ones that are venomous in the US, most can really only make you ill unless you’re elderly, sick or an infant, which are folks who rarely venture off to where the snakes are roaming. That venom isn’t meant to kill people. It’s designed to kill/immobilize their food. Most who get bit were threatening the snake, trying to kill or capture it.
Also, being cold-blooded, they won’t normally come into your house, unless…you’ve probably guessed…unless you have rats/mice, which can kill by spreading diseases more often then a bite of a snake. You just have to look at history and the black plague to know how dangerous they are. Have you ever heard of mass death caused by snakes? I’ve seen too many innocent species slaughtered in ignorance. If it weren’t for snakes, you’d have a LOT more other, more harmful, critters running around the farm. But, I’ll get off my soap box now. I know many people are raised to fear them, and will never come around to my view.
Connie, you can delete this if it bothers you. Sorry, again, but I just want to educate. Everything I’ve said is well researched and true.
Apr 07, 2012 @ 10:27:08
Of course I won’t delete it, Tiffany.
Apr 07, 2012 @ 10:53:12
Thanks, Connie. I guess I’ve been cranky the past few days due to a bad cold. 😀
Apr 07, 2012 @ 18:03:08
LOL – Snakes are good for your farm – no matter what you think. 😉 We walk around rattlers on the trails here – they have no interest in us. AND…just this morning one of the neighbor boys brought out a tiny ringneck snake he had found – I would challenge even you to not think that little son of a gun was cute. My two year old grandson asked me to put it on his head. 🙂
Apr 07, 2012 @ 19:51:54
Yes, the ringnecks are pretty cute as snakes go! LOL! “on his head”?! 🙂 We also found a tiny one many years back. Did you know they are mildly venomous? But, are rear fanged like coral snakes and are fairly docile, so are harmless for humans to handle.
We have a LARGE black ratsnake living around our house. We’ve only seen him twice in about 5 years. The last time he was on his way across the driveway for a hot date when he passed by us. 😉 I imagine so, anyway. We usually only really know he’s around when we find his skins under the house. He keeps pretty busy. I haven’t seen any field rats around here for a couple years. But, the Easter Bunny better look out!
Apr 08, 2012 @ 19:59:58
We used to have snake problems. They only scare me when they move and I don’t expect it. I am very good at using a shovel to chop the snakes into many pieces – the first chop is the tricky one. I only kill the poisonous ones – coral and water moccasins. I agree that they can be very beneficial to the environment however they are scary when they move and you don’t expect it. We got cats to eat the mice and rats. Since we have had cats we don’t have the snake problems.