What's Green and Yellow and Hisses?

Wow, that's a pretty snake.  I wouldn't mind having a couple of those in my yard.

I bet Zoo knows.;)

Common name 'rough green snake.'

Here's the wikipedia entry on them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opheodrys_aestivus

If I had to guess...I'd say that'd be the culprit.

~Zoo

What do they eat Zoo?

Tova: He really was pretty. And not too menacing seeming. Cause I am freaked out by snakes, big time, but he didn't scare me.

Orian was excited but cautious.

Zoo: Thanks! That's him! Rough Green Snake. Ha. Cool!

Tova: I think I saw that they eat insects. Is that right Zoo?

Insects, spiders...creepy crawlies for the most part...the wiki says that they'll take snails and frogs too, though that would depend on the size.

Not a constrictor, instead it just swallows its prey...non-venomous, by the way...and they're quite docile.

~Zoo

No problem. They're also called grass snakes.



Feel free to pick one of those guys up...they're harmless, just be gentle.

~Zoo

These are the only snakes I've ever found around my house:

Easter garter snake:

And the eastern milk snake:

 

There are many more in Ohio...unfortunately these are the only two species I've ever met personally.  The milk snake only once...but oh the hills are rich with garter snakes.

~Zoo

 

Zoo: That snake did seem very docile. Not very skittish or overly excited.

Is the milk snake poisonous? I am so scared of snakes, the thought of them just being everywhere freaks me out.

You know that Hawaii has no snakes, right? They have one worm guy that is like a snake, but that's it.

Zoo: That snake did seem very docile. Not very skittish or overly excited.

Is the milk snake poisonous? I am so scared of snakes, the thought of them just being everywhere freaks me out.

You know that Hawaii has no snakes, right? They have one worm guy that is like a snake, but that's it.

Heh, nah.  The milk snake is non venomous, they're constrictors.  They're a type of king snake, and an interesting thing about king snakes is that in addition to common prey items like rodents and other small animals, they eat other snakes including venomous species of which they have some immunity to their venom.

I caught one that was about 3-4ft long and I was only like 12...of course I assumed it was venomous because I didn't know what it was...so I procured a staining sponge(for staining wood) and pinned its head down, then proceeded to pick it up.

Hawaii has no native species.  The Brahminy blind snake was introduced in the 1980's.  It is the only snake that reproduced by parthenogenesis which means that all of them are female and lay eggs that are essentially clones of the adult.  Luckily they don't pose much of a threat to the ecosystem.

Has been awhile since I've heard of this little girl...though I must say I didn't know a whole lot about them until I looked it up. Learning, yeah!

~Zoo

Those look like something out of Spiderman. You know, the one with Venom?

I'm not too fond of snakes myself! I would not get too close, even to the docile ones!  Some people here love them and have the really big ones as pets!  Not my cup of tea.

I agree! I'd love to have some of these in my flower beds and trees....they are pretty and USEFUL...awesome.

Wow, what a gorgeous snake.  I'm such a reptile and insect fan.  I'd love to have a few of these in our garden too.  Unfortunatley, the local bird life, particularly the boisterous Currawongs would eat them without hesitation.

I envy you and the boys being able to get as close as you did to this beautiful creature.

In Australia there's a decent chance of death involved with getting close to a snake. :)  Well, if you don't know what it is, anyway. ;)  If I recall you guys have around 5/10 of the deadliest snakes.

~Zoo

All I know is stay away from the ones that rattle.  :p 

wow.....nice snake TW.  I've seen alot of snakes in Maine but not one like that.

What used to freak me out was when I'd go out to my composter and see 4-5 garden snakes sleeping on top of the pile when I'd take off the cover to the composer.  Other times, I'd see just the skins left behind...gross!   But even tho they are harmless I still would get freaked every time. 

 

Pretty cool, Tex.

I like snakes, especially that one. He's a cool guy.

Mostly an urban myth, I'm pleased to say.  Australia has around 140 identified species of snakes.  According to one site, most venom toxicity is tested on mice, so to say we have 5 of the top 10 is basically as far as mice are concerned. 

Here is a link to a site that explains it in detail: http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/australian_venomous_snakes.html 

All this snakey talk makes my skin crawl. I have made it clear how I feel about snakes in the past. You want to be careful about encouraging your kids to handle snakes, Tex. You are a good mama, I know, but those little minds get to thinkin they can handle any kind of snake even when you aren't around. I spent a lifetime in Texas one year and a lot of that year was in the bush around where you live now. There are some grumpy, deadly reptiles out there. Get them a book on snakes with lots of colorful pictures. The ones that are poisonous have distinctive characteristics, head shape, pits, markings and disposition. Keep in mind that even non-poisonous snake bites can be very bad, snakes got dirty mouths They need to be able to figure out which ones are which...then kill them all.  

Zoo: Yep, that's the Hawaii snake. I guess I was mistaken in thinking it was a worm that looked like a snake and not an actual snake. Still ugly and scary.

FS: I used to have a hard time even looking at pictures of snakes! This one was really pretty, though, and didn't seem scary at all.

LW: Yeah, he was actually more vibrant that he looks in the pics. His belly was a bright yellow and his green was very pretty. He seemed so dainty.

Tova: Do you want me to catch him and mail him to you? Haha. I'll poke holes in the box!

I seriously do wonder how he got there. Like maybe he was a pet and someone just dumped him off? He didn't seem to match his environment and I didn't find him on the TX snakes list.

Maso: Haha, I like turtles and lizards but snakes freak me out!

Roy: No shit! I have a big fear about rattlesnakes!

When I was little and playing in the yard there was a Copperhead outside. I don't remember seeing it, but I do remember mom making me go inside all rushed, and trying to watch from the screen door to see what was going on.

I hate snakes! (Except this one, haha, he won me over.)

KFC: I would never be able to move the cover after the first time I saw a mess of snakes. You are brave!

Cedar: Haha, I agree, he's a cool guy. I am kind of worried about him. I hope no one hurts him and he stays safe.

BFD: None of us are comfortable touching snakes, haha. I actually realized later that maybe taking them back to see it could have been a bad idea, but this snake was very safe. He was just minding his business, and we weren't going to put our hands on him.

We do have some very cool snake books with info on their habits and insides and poisonous types and all that. Now would be a fun time to pull that stuff out, but they're all still boxed up in the garage.

No worries, though, I am too paranoid to let my babies handle even nice snakes, haha, and they are both pretty wary, too! Orian was very excited about seeing it, but kept his distance. Xavier was a little more comfortable, but he never would have gotten close enough to touch it. Haha. We are scaredy cats!

Thanks for thinking of us. It's a very timely reminder!

If I had been there, I would have picked him up for sure. Most snakes don't mind being handled so long as you're gentle and don't squeeze them. It is when they think they can't move or are being grabbed by a predator that they get aggressive. Of course, I would never try picking up a snake I couldn't identify.

Probably because compost piles are WARM. In fact, go out in the middle of winter and stick you hand into the middle of one and it'll be like 70 degrees. Has to do with organic matter breaking down.

I don't mind snakes. I killed a Rattle snake in Florida with a shovel, before I knew it was a Rattler, because it lunged at a kid so the neighbor lady came and go me...why? I dunno. Chopped that sucker right in half. When I saw it was a rattle snake, I almost threw up. It coulda killed the kids.

Some dum guy reported me for killing an "endangered species." I guess they are endangered in Florida, he picked up the pieces and acted like I was a criminal (shoulda hit that snake with a shovel)...but that's another story.

I don't mind snakes so much now. I had to make myself not fear them. A gal pal's boyfriend (many years ago) had a boa constrictor. That thing was HUGE, and he let it run around his apartment free during the day...called it home security.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time there. At first I had to fight the "Flight" reflex. And it took a while, but finally I was able to get over it. Now I can deal with them rationally when I come across them. Which is why I'd love to have this one in my yard.

They can be so pretty, and he could live in the compost pile!

Still...I'd rather not get tagged by any of them.



If I can tell whether it's venomous or not, then I'm game for picking it up as long as it's not in freak out mode. I've only been bitten by garter snakes...the inside of their mouth is sticky and they're a bitch to get off of you. They eat earthworms.

~Zoo

You mentioned that once before, it is my all time favorite name for a snake. You da Whip!!