I'm having foundation work today. As you know, it's rained lots in the Houston area for the last week or so. This morning, found a baby snake, very slow moving...is either dying or just too cold. Yellow belly, diamond shaped black head...dull red tinge to the scales with pairs of round to oval spots down the back. I think maybe some kind of water snake? No bands, so I am not thinking cottonmouth.

One of the men in the holes hollered and jumped out a little bit ago....another snake...apparently living in a burrow under the foundation (we do have lot of toads, salamanders, and other reptiles/amphibians even with the drought...we water with a drip hose). This one is also yellow bellied....has a very dull pattern, but appears to be virtually black...again, diamond shaped head. Very aggressive (of course, if somebody nearly shoveled you in half, you'd be unhappy, too) and hissing. I'm thinking also a water snake.

I guess my question is...would these be common...we really don't live near a body of water, we don't have a pond. We do get standing water when it rains (who doesn't in Houston) and live several blocks from huge drainage ditches.....and have gotten the random turtle in the yard...

Will link a photobucket when dear hubby uploads the camera. It's been a weird, weird day.

Kt

- one of my favorite saying I learned shortly after
moving to TX.

As to wanting snakes in the yard - if you have outside cats you will not have snakes visit your yard.

I personally love snakes (those with the narrow heads).

Generally, in the USA, all snakes with elliptic(cat's eye) pupils, are venomous where round pupils indicate non-venomous.

This holds true except for two snakes, the coral snake and one other that I can't recall now. Triangular shaped heads is also a determinant, but sometimes it is hard to tell narrow from triangular especially since they can flatten their heads out at will, particularly before striking.

Also look for a pit on the side of their heads, as most venomous snakes are pit vipers.

As for having cats and no snakes...well, I have four outdoor cats and I stepped on a snake last week just a few steps from my back porch...so much for that saying...:)

Kt

Kt

Maybe since the roadrunners don't come in my yard, the snakes take their chances with the cats...the lesser of two evils?!

Do yours go "Beep-beep"?

Now I don't. They still scare me if I don't know that they are there, but if I know it, I'm not afraid. This summer a Gulf Ribbon about 3' was in my yard, so I chased it around the yard with a hose (it was hot and dry) until it went down a snake hole. I was so proud that I didn't kill it.

The reason for this is because last winter rats got into my greenhouse/pump house and destroyed about 20 of my best orchids. I was so mad. I got rid of the rats and decided snakes aren't so bad after all, . . . providing they are non-poisonous!