snake patrol

I have learned more about snakes than I ever wanted to since I started gardening. If you garden for any length of time you will come upon a snake every so often, and always when you least expect it. This is not an *if* statement, but a *when* statement.

Our home has a warm southern exposure and some rock-terraced areas--very desirable if you are a snake trying to warm up. We typically see three varieties of snakes on a regular basis: milk snakes, bull snakes and garter snakes; all sizes from tiny snakelets to large adults. I know snakes are super beneficial as far as consuming mice and insects, but I just don't like them lurking around the house (or me) while I'm gardening.

Every season Ange and I re-locate approximately 10-15 snakes. When they are small I'm okay with picking them up as long as I'm wearing garden gloves. For the larger snakes, Ange has a humane snake-picker-upper with soft holders. We catch them and put them in a bucket and take them for a leisurely walk down the road. They are re-located to a large uninhabited field. I am proud to say we have not injured or killed any snakes in the process.

What I've learned:

• Snakes are easier to catch in the morning when it is cooler outside. Once they warm up, they move like greased lightning.
• Make sure your snake-catching bucket is deep...you get the gist.
  
• Don't put your hands in a garbage bag full of mulch that has been set aside for over a week. I made that mistake and came up with not only two handfuls of mulch, but also two handfuls of baby snakes!
• Be gentle; snakes don't like us any more than we like them.
• Snakes are good...snakes are good...snakes are good (my gardening mantra).

One July weekend's booty of two snakes. The snake on right was inside of our rain gutter and surfaced when we were mowing. We had to stop mowing and flush it out with the hose-hence the water.