SNAKES!

We've got snakes here.

Loads and loads of snakes.

That may explain the lack of mice.

I was out pulling weeds yesterday and today and have noticed dozens of holes in the ground where our reptilian hunters reside.

Today I actually found a shed skin from a good sized garter snake and, not ten minutes later, saw the former owner of that skin as he/she slithered past my foot to escape the cold spray of the garden hose.

This is a big deal for us as we had one snake in eight or nine years at the other house and now I see them daily.

The only venomous snake we have in Lake County is the Eastern Massasauga and I'm afraid I'd have a hard time identifying one at a glance still. We've got to study a bit harder now that I know how many snakes we have around the house.

We sit on the outside edge of a wetland unlike any other in the state and I suspect the snakes are out to feed on the numerous frogs which are feeding on the heavy insect population (all right in my back yard.)

I hope to snap some pictures in the next couple of days as we're headed for even more snake-friendly weather (hot and sunny with slightly cooler evenings.) We see them warming themselves on the sidewalk as the sun goes down because it's nice and warm from a full day of sun and heat.

Thanks for reading,


B