Warning: There’s a “S” related photo below. Not a live (or dead) one but close!
Late in the evenings, but before dark, but sometimes barely before dark, I’m out watering. Actually, I’m waiting for all the chickens to go in so I can close up the coops so while I’m waiting, I’m watering.
I keep a watchful eye for snakes but honestly, the rattlers are so hard to see, I’m not even sure I would see one with the brown grass and leaves. Every now and then I’ll be walking and catch myself looking at the fig tree or looking for Cat and I have to remind myself “watch your feet!”
Pomegranate Tree
We have several pomegranate trees and almost every year we’ve been here, just to the left of this one, I find a big, long snake skin. Here’s a picture from a couple of years ago.
Snake Skin
This year for the past month or so, every time I walk that way, I say to myself . . you’re not going to scare me this year because I’m watching for you!
But . . it did scare me, because I was looking in the wrong place.
Snake Skin
In the tree! The snake got up in the tree and left his skin there. Oh, my goodness! Not only are snakes on the ground and in the chicken coops but they’re in the fruit trees! I told Vince . . we need to remember when picking pomegranates (and probably figs too) that those blasted snakes may be up in the trees. I am really bad about just reaching for ripe fruit and never looking for a snake in the tree!
I would never have thought they would do that. But, obviously . . they will.
No place is safe from snakes around here.
Jackie says
You need to get a free range pig, apparently pigs hate snakes and go after them. A patient who had a large farm with a snake problem got a pig who he let roam freely around the house and within a week all the snakes were gone from the area. He said pigs are thick skinned and not affected by snake bites and pigs will kill snakes so they stay out of the area. Don’t know if it’s true but he felt strongly they helped him.
Cynthia says
IMO the only good snake is a dead snake. I don’t hang around long once I see a snake.
One time someone yelled snake and I got so scared I jumped on a trailer and my shoes were wet from dew. I fell and slid down the trailer and broke 3 bones in my foot.
Rebecca in SoCal says
Yikes. That’s rather discouraging; bad enough to try to watch your feet!