I Found Another One

I FOUND ANOTHER ONE!!!!  In preparation for what I HOPE will be a much more snowy winter than last year, we have been stacking newly cut wood that the hubby so energetically chops, and reorganizing what was left over of the stacks last year.  The left overs were wedged in the ground pretty good and when I flipped one of the larger wedges out of it's sunken home, this is what I found!  I knew it wasn't the real thing the moment I saw it, but I screamed anyway just to see if anyone was paying attention!



(this pic amazes me because B3...holding the skin...use to be the biggest scardey cat!)

We were lucky this year not to run upon any snakes in our yard, as we usually see a few (like that time I almost walked over a black snack that looked like a big stick...); but this summer was slow...and seeing these skins, it got me thinking that I've not really been going over snake safety with the kids as much as I should have been.  We live in a pretty wooded area and there are lots of good homes around for our slithery friends.  Especially in rotting wood left over from last year!

So I've been researching good info to present to young kids about snake safety, because if you are doing yard work right now and getting your property winterized, you may disturb a habitat or two. Knowing what to do in the event of a bite is a life or death situation.

Below is a skin of a youngling that I found (on my front porch in a flower pot, that I'm NOT bringing inside) just yesterday!!!



Here are some links to help you learn the basics about snake safety.  Even though here in the N. Hemisphere we are getting ready for winter and most species will be taking cover, it is still considered mating season and they might be a little more "active", so you may still find a few here and there in the more temperate areas...so watch your step!

ASPCA Snake Bite Safety
Teach Kids About Snakes
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Amazon find: Snakes of North America
Poisonous Snakes of N. America
Homestead Survival Article Link

Let me also get one thing straight.  I know some of you may be shivering at the sight of even a snake skin....or even the word snake.  But all of God's creatures have a role to play in nature and they should all have the equal right to live in peace.  So if you come across one of these beautiful creatures (did I say that out loud), and it is not posing a immanent danger to you or your kids...WALK away slowly and thank God for his natural rodent control method. I will try my best to do the same....