Snake Encounters
Springtime means the snakes are waking up! Watch this tail-shaking snake video and Let's chat about why we respect and appreciate them, and we hope you will too!
Snakes have gotten a bad rap for no good reason.
Agree? Disagree? Let’s Chat.
Do you love them?
Are you curious about them?
Did someone in your past scare you about them?
Does the thought of them make you want to run and scream?
Have you ever thought about WHY we react the way we do over things we have minimal experience with?
Snakes are often in that category.
When I post anything about a snake on social media, it's common for people to react dramatically with negative words. That’s why I try to share positive aspects about “scary” snakes. (and fun snake pics like these below)
We've been taught to be fearful of them.
We've been taught to kill them.
We've been taught they are evil.
And some religions have taught that snakes embody evil.
BUT snakes are really our FRIENDS!
Casting out superstitions, myths, and fearful stories, let’s share truth!
Most snakes are good.
(Remember Luke Bryan’s song “Most People Are Good”)
Most snakes are good, well-meaning, helpful, useful, and safe.
They eat garden pests and house pests, like insects, grasshoppers, slugs, moles, and field mice.
(somewhere I have a photo I took on the farm, of a garter snake wrapped around a mouse, and eating it…that’s not in the stack below, it’s for another day)
If you leave them alone, they’ll mind their own business of helping you.
If you choose to catch them (to move them to safety) please do so carefully so you don’t get bitten and you don’t hurt the snake.
These snake pics were taken on the farm, of snakes that were caught and moved to safer areas, still on the farm, away from mowers, cats, and unsafety. We often give them a photo opp when they are caught.
Yes, a couple of us have been bitten by a garter who was feeling too handled. But garter teeth are small, with no poison, and are less bothersome than many insects and less health scary than a cat bite.
YES, I know dangerous snakes do exist, (rare in Michigan), but awareness of how they look and act will help a lot. Garter snakes are the most common in our area, with their very obvious yellow stripes, it’s easy to know they are safe snakes. The other snake in the pictures in this post are less commonly seen on the farm, and harder to identify with an untrained eye, but knowing the tell-tale sign of a pointy tail for safe snakes quickly helps. This Eastern Milk Snake tries to look scary with his tail shaking defense, but he’s safe too.
The video below is definitely fun to watch. His tail dance is fun to see when you are not scared of a venom bite. (he’s safe)
It’s highly recommended to know the look of any poisonous snakes in your area, (google will be happy to help) but PLEASE respect the good snakes!
Your lawn and garden really does benefit from them.
Let me share some fun in pictures…..
Well that’s a short farm chat for today. (read rating: 3M 15s)
If you have a few more minutes, go check out those other links.
Here’s a quick link for the front porch at: Chat With Suzy.
Thank you for enjoying our farm photos today! Be sure you leave me your email, and select the Farm News box, so you can get the next round of cute animal pics and farm chats!
So I will bid you adieu for this round of tea, with a virtual hug, I will ask you to…
Come Back Soon!
As Always, Thanks for taking the time to read!
-Suzy
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