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OT: Snakey-snack

J

JerryS

Well-known Member
For years I've entreated my sister-in-law, who lives next door, to resist her primal instincts and not chop into confetti every harmless snake she encounters in our woods. She has, with lessening reticence, come to accept my admonition that the good snakes eat the bad snakes.

This fact was confirmed to her yesterday when she came across this king snake chowing down on a rather large copperhead behind my house. She set her fear aside long enough to get these photos of the event.
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Eastern milk snakes were common here when I was a kid. They are a variety of king snake. I haven't seen a single one in decades. Larger snake, pretty color. Ate a lot of mice. I guess we like being over run with rodents more than having a few harmless snakes around.
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I don't like snakes either, but the only one I've intentionally killed was a copperhead that was close to the house.

We still have a healthy population of black snakes. We don't bother them. They're the good guys.
 
How about the 'Blue Racer', here in MI ? ?
saw them when I was a 'young' farmer. but nary a one in last 40 years.
 
I saw a young (about 18") bull snake crossing the road 2 wks ago while hauling tractors to a show. Hadn't seen a bull snake on the road for 30 yrs or so. Yes, I avoided hitting him.
 
They are common here, though you only see them at certain times of the year or though it seems.

Docile for the most part, I try to just relocate any in danger from the mower or like one that was hanging from the garage door track in the neigbhbor lady's shed, I removed said snake, and placed around my neck as I walked away, she on the other hand was a bit perplexed judging by the look on her face.

We call them corn snakes, same difference, the one thing about these or most, sometimes one will be defensive for a short time, is how docile they are, once in hand and especially if it was cool the night before, they like your body heat, but they are just docile, you could be a predator, but they just don't react to being handled, they are sold as pets. I like them as they do prey on rodents.
 
Yeah! I remember those. Darn things get big and they are NOT as nice as the milk snakes. I recall walking in the field behind my house as a kid. There was a hunk of plywood on the ground and I picked it up and looked under it. Great place to find interesting things if you are a 10 year old boy! This time it was the biggest blue racer I had ever seen. I was an ace snake catcher at the time and I gave it a go but I never saw anything like the speed this thing left with. Pretty phenomenal for something without legs! just another case of a really cool snake (in it's way) that hurts no one. That's another I have not seen in a good long while.
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Saw a BlueRacer a few years back here in central Michigan. Only one I have ever seen around here.
My dad used to tell me they were common in the Cedar Springs area, but that was in the 1905 - 1910 era!
 
Actually, there is a corn snake AND a milk snake. Michigan does not list corn snakes as a native species but given the thousands sold in pet shops I would bet there are more than a few around. Never saw one though. The milk snakes are docile just like the corn and they do look alike, but I think it is a different snake, different latin name etc. What I do see a lot is garter snakes. I could probably go out and catch you one in about 10 minutes without half trying. They are everywhere. I was mowing a lane last week and saved one that must have been a newborn. Looked just like the bigguns but was less than 4" long. Don't handle those much...they stink!
 
I always wondered about that, they are 2 distinct species, I kinda look forward every spring to seeing these. Garter snakes are very abundant here, but not so friendly, they give off some foul smelling liquid, probably to deter predators. I see brown snakes and sometimes at our place 30 miles north, common water snakes. We are fortunate these are all harmless, they're never any bother, well unless they die in bad places, like a well or similar.
 
I watched the same thing happen right outside my door about 20 years ago. Unfortunately the way the snakes were entwined I couldn't tell which one was winning so they both caught a load of 20 gauge #6 birdshot. Sadly I didn't realize the blacksnake was eating the copper head until both were dead.
 
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