Black Racers

Yesterday afternoon, I was lucky enough to discover three Black Racer snakes basking in a bit of late day sunshine.  All were nice mature specimens between three and four feet long.

I was starting down the south side of a hill when I encountered the first snake.  I had just been thinking that the snakes should be active when I caught sight of this one in the grass.

This individual had its head pointed towards me when I saw it, so I assume it saw me first.  That seems typical of my normal snake encounters.  They always appear to be staring at me at the moment I become aware of their presence.  This individual appeared to be quite healthy, but was still wearing some mud that probably came from its hibernation site.  After admiring the snake for a short while, I backed away and began circling around.  I didn’t want to interrupt the sunbath.

About 10 feet away, I found a second snake.  This one was a little larger than the first and was in a thicker area of Indian Grass.

Like the first snake, this one had seen me coming.  I once again backed off and chose another path around the snakes.

About 15 feet farther off, I scared a third snake from the tall grass.  The Indian Grass here was too thick for me to see the ground or resting snakes, but the sound of the snake was easy to track through the dry grass stalks.  Fortunately, the snake headed out of the field and into a tangle of small trees.  This specimen was the largest of the three.

No dried mud on this snake.  The scales are nice and clean, but not as shiny black as snake number two.

The side view of the head is one of my favorite snake poses.  The eye peering through the vegetation reminds me of the Velociraptor preparing to attack in the Jurassic Park movie.  I also enjoy seeing my reflection in the snake’s eye.  That dark spot to left center in the eye is me taking this photo.  You can’t really see it in the reflection, but finding three snakes within a few minutes always makes me smile.

Black Racer Looking Blue

I was crossing one of the prairie openings yesterday evening when I heard the sound of a snake moving rapidly through the dried grass.  I hurried ahead of the sound and intercepted this Black Racer as it entered a clearing beneath a large cedar. 

Note: Grace is scheduled to have her final cataract surgery today.  I thought this would be a good subject to test her newly restored vision.

It stopped at my appearance and compressed its body laterally to form a ridge down its back.  I assume this was to appear larger and less vulnerable to a potential threat.  This is the first time I’ve had a racer behave in this manner.

I wasn’t moving, so the snake began to coil its body.  I call this a Black Racer because it’s the only racer we’re supposed to have in this area.  I have also read that the only difference between the black and blue subspecies is the color, so I’m not sure that this one shouldn’t be called a Blue Racer.  However it’s called, it was a beautiful specimen and quite willing to interact with me for a while.

As it coiled its body, the snake kept its head directed straight at me.  It whipped its tongue at me every time I moved, all the time tightening its coils.

Once satisfactorily coiled, it settled in to stare.  I thought at first that the blue coloration could just be the result of the snake preparing to shed.  After watching for a while, I decided that the colors were just too bright and the eyes too clear for shedding to be imminent.  I think this is just the way the snake is colored.

If I remained still for a while, the snake would begin to move off.

If it saw me make any movement at all, it would pull itself back and continue the face off.

I moved my hand off to the side and the snake followed along.  It wasn’t about to back down.

The sunlight was rapidly disappearing, so I left the snake to continue whatever activity I had interrupted.  Things are looking good for this to be a very snaky summer.

Black Racer

Most people use the phrase “A snake in the grass” in reference to an undesirable situation.  I’ve always considered a snake in the grass to be a positive condition calling for investigation and celebration.  This Black Racer is giving what I like to call the Jurassic Park pose.

A dark face and pale nose usually indicate a racer.  Racers may act aggressively if captured, but will normally retreat from danger.  A slow approach can get you quite close to these snakes.  Vibration of the tail indicates the snakes discomfort with your proximity and is usually a prelude to rapid retreat.  Some people are startled when a racer retreats directly towards them.  This has happened to me several times, but it makes sense when I’m only a couple of feet away, that it would be safer and faster to rush past me than to turn around and go the opposite direction.

This was my first view of the snake.  It’s easy to spot a black snake in the pale grass of late winter.

I’ve momentarily mistaken hoses and branches for snakes on many occasions.  The misidentification lasts less than a second.  There’s really nothing else that looks like a snake.

I’ve viewed many serpentine items with diamond patterns, but there’s nothing that comes close to the scales of a snake.

I eventually crowded in too much and caused the snake to take off into an opening beneath a cedar root.  I hope this is just the first of a multitude of snake encounters to be experienced this year.