Must be snake time as I posted about our latest snake today. At least ours was only about a two foot garden snake. We don't kill snakes usually but there have been extenuating circumstances within the last seven years that doomed a six foot rattler and a somewhat smaller water moccasin to snake heaven. My bride does that as I just can't anymore. I find that my ability to kill has slipped away. My tiny experimental corn patch is giving me little ears that are better than candy bars. I call these little ears the "Fun Size".

Heath --- Nope, we didn't get any good shots at all. I'm actually only 90% sure it was a copperhead and not a harmless water snake. My memory of the head was the right shape, but we didn't get any photos that would let me see the telling feature of the eyes and the few that showed the banding on the back looked more water-snake-like. It would be odd for a water snake to take up residence so far from a creek, but possible. (All the more reason not to kill it.)

Mona --- We totally agree! Usually, we leave snakes totally alone, but since this one was venomous (we think) and so close to our living area, we felt it needed to be moved on.

Oldfool --- We thought this might be an extenuating circumstance that would mean the end of the snake, but we just couldn't talk ourselves into doing the deed. If it had been aggressive at all, we might have had to, but it was actually very shy and seemed very inclined to run away, even when I accidentally sat down nearly on top of it yesterday while picking beans.

Dave --- We never even thought of eating it. It seemed so beautiful --- much harder to kill than a deer or chicken.

Mom --- We're lucky that we only have two poisonous snakes in our area. Water moccasins are more southern, not extending this far north in the mountains.

Of the two poisonous species, rattlesnakes are pretty obvious --- they have a rattle on the end of their tails. They're also unlikely to be found in a farm-type situation --- the one I nearly sat on a decade ago (what is it about me and sitting on poisonous snakes?) was on a rocky ledge up in the mountains, which is pretty typical.

Copperheads are more likely to be found where people hang out (although they're still not all that common). If you can see it, the eyes are the best ID feature --- they're a slit rather than round. This website gives good information on telling copperheads apart from other Virginia snakes.

Well, I have a general rule- if it is poisonous, and where kids play, I kill it. I can't be sure it won't come back if I move it, and although adults might survive a Japanese mamushi's bite, kids might not.

Also, the mamushi is not exactly a rare snake here.

There are thousands of hectares of unused land around our homestead. The snakes can live there in peace.

Also, I am way older than any snakes born around here, so I think I can safely say- Ego hic primum - I was here first.

Dave --- Gotcha --- that makes a lot of sense.

Eric --- We might have just ignored the copperhead if it hadn't been right near Lucy (and if Lucy didn't have a thing for snakes), so I know where you're coming from. She's so much smaller than we are (and couldn't tell us what happened if she was bit), so a snake bit would be much more dangerous for her.

On the other hand, I figure across the creek and around the hill will probably keep this snake away for good. We'll see....

Our dog is actually our first line of defense against mamushi. Our dog loves us, and wants to protect my kids, so he is always walking in front, looking for snakes. He even leads us away from areas where they might be present. I don't know if he smells them or is just working from experience. Luckily, while dogs are not totally immune, they are very resistant to mamushi venom. Without our little guy, I would have been in the hospital at least once. He is like a furry little secret service agent.