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Aww..he’s a nice snakey!

Posted by Nancy Pricer | Posted in Critters, Posts, Uncategorized, Wildscaping | Comments (4)

Last week I took advantage of the spring weather and began digging up a flower bed against our house and digging up St. Augustine to expand it. In doing so, I accidentally stabbed a friendly snake with my pitchfork.

Luckily she survived and had healed nicely by the next day. I knew that because after taking a break that next day, she was waiting for me by the pitch fork when I came back. I didn't mind her glaring at me and sticking out her tongue at me and wiggling it, because I would have done the same thing if someone stabbed me!

I took a photo of her and posted it on Facebook and subsequently came across one of her babies, took another photo and posted that too commenting on how cute the baby was.

Here are a few of the comments that post received from Facebook friends:

  • "The only cute snake is a dead snake. Snakes are not allowed to live in my space."
  • "Most babys are cute. But NOT baby snakes!!! Ewwww."
  • "Nope! NO snakes are cute…..cannot use in same sentence!"
But, there were also some positive comments:
  • "Aww..he's a nice snakey. We have those all over the yard."
  • "I love snakes. We've never had a mouse around here because of the snakes."
  • "Oh he's pretty! I have a new outlook on snakes, particularly the "friendly" ones like this guy, as they eat mice/rats. I have a pretty yellowbelly water snake who hangs around my house. There's a creek nearby…"
This got me to thinking about snakes while I continued digging up St. Augustine, and I decided to do a little research on Texas snakes.
 
My journalist friend, Gail Bennison, summed it up perfectly when she said, "Aww…he's a nice snakey."
 
Snakes are a natural and integral component of the ecosystem. As predators, they are invaluable for their role in maintaining the balance of nature by helping to keep populations of their prey in check. Their prey consists of everything from earthworms to rabbits, and this includes other snakes. Snakes are especially important in the control of rodents and bull snakes can be a farmer's best friend.
 
Snakes in Texas
Texas is always bragging about having the most, the biggest, and the best of everything. As reluctant as we may be to brag about this one, the Lone Star State is, undeniably, a cornucopia of snake diversity. Although the exact number of species is hard to determine, we boast a stunning 76 species of snakes. If you include both species and subspecies in that number, it gives you a grand total of 115 or more–the highest number in the United States. The Central Texas region has the largest number of species.
 
The vast majority of Texas' snakes are non-venomous and completely harmless. Only 15 percent are venomous and should be treated with caution and respect. The venomous varieties can be grouped into four basic categories: coral snakes, copperheads, cottonmouths (also known as water moccasins), and rattlesnakes.
 
Good snakey. Bad snakey.
Unfortunately, there is no one simple and fast criterion a person can use to tell a venomous snake from a harmless one. None of the popular criteria such as a broad, triangular head, a heavy body, cat's eyes (vertical pupils), a flat body, or rough scales are safe since both harmless and dangerous snakes are known to share some or all of these traits. The only unfailing method is an examination of the snake hollow of grooved fangs and venom glands. For obvious reasons, this is not a practical approach. So, see the photos below for who is a good snakey and who is a bad snakey and then just use common sense around rocks, brush piles, etc.
 
   

Good snakey in my garden.

Watch this video for Texas snakes to watch out for.

Finally, read this story about a Sweetwater, Texas, couple to see why you should fear a good snakey!

Happy gardening!

Nancy

Seven 2010 Garden Trends

Posted by Nancy Pricer | Posted in Garden Trends, Posts, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

I was doing some research on garden trends and came across the Garden Media Group's 2101 Garden Trends list. In a nutshell, I see the trend overall going toward all things more real and natural than ever before. This made me realize that what my husband and I are doing with Texas mountain cedar building custom pergolas, arbors, trellises, and more fits in well with the trend since it is a sustainable product that blends with natural surroundings.

What's In and What's Out

1. IN: Main Street   OUT: Wall Street

2. IN: Edible Gardens   OUT: Lawns

3. IN: Slow Gardening   OUT: Instant Gratification

4. IN: Mindful   OUT: Bling

5. IN: Eco-Boosting   OUT: Chemical Dependent Gardens

6. IN: Multi-Tasking   OUT: Single-Purpose Gardening

7. IN: Perennials and Shrubs   OUT: Divas

Read the full report