Eastern Hognose Snake

I recently had an interesting encounter with an Eastern Hognose Snake. The snake had gotten itself caught in the mesh of a rat trap that had been set in my barn. My primary concern was releasing the snake from the grip of the wire before it injured itself, so I only took it couple of quick photos before beginning the rescue operation. By snipping and bending a single wire, I was able to quickly release the snake from the trap.

Hognose snakes have a wide repertoire of harmless defensive actions that they employ when they feel threatened. This individual went through the entire routine. It began by flattening of its head and neck in an attempt to look more threatening. As I snipped the cage wire, the snake hissed loudly and produced a guttural noise that sounded almost like a growl. It struck repeatedly at my hands and arms, but its mouth was not open, so all I felt were taps from its nose. As I slid the snake’s body out of the trap, it imitated a death spasm and released a highly pungent poop that splattered on everything nearby. It was an unfortunate circumstance that, due to an ongoing severe thunderstorm, I was performing the rescue operation on the covered front porch of the house.

The next stage in the snake’s act was to play dead. It hung limply from my hand as I took it out for release next to the barn.

Upon being set down, the snake rolled onto its back with mouth agape. 

The above video shows the snake repeatedly rolling over onto its back after being placed belly down.

I left the snake draped around a piece of wood, upright but still looking very much dead. When the thunderstorm abated a few minutes later, I went out to check and found that the snake had moved on. Hognose snakes feed on toads. It’s for this reason that I have been constructing breeding pools in hopes of increasing the toad population. More toads mean more Hognose Snakes, and that’s what I would like to see.

Young Black Rat Snake

Black Rat Snakes were not particularly common when we first moved to this property 30+ years ago.  After a few years, snakes took up residence in our barn, garage and attic.  From then on, encounters with adult Black Rat Snakes became common.  It’s just been in the last couple of years that I have begun to regularly see youngsters.

I found this young snake perched on a leaning stake intended to hold up the side of a brush pile.  From this position, the snake had nowhere to go.  I think it was contemplating its next move as I arrived.

Young Black Rat Snakes have an overall grayish coloration decorated with a row of brown patches running the length of the back.  A hatchling leaves the egg with a body length of about one foot.  The pattern is most pronounced in the newly hatched specimens, but is slowly masked by dark pigment that develops as the snake ages.  At maturity, around four years of age, the snake will be about five feet long and predominantly black.  This individual measured at about 26 inches long.

Almost every young Black Rat Snake that I find seems to have a distinctive bulge of a recently swallow meal.  I always picture a mouse inside the bulge, but it could just as easily be some other small mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian.

After a moment of watching me take its picture, the snake turned around and headed down into the brush pile.  Somewhere in that mass of branches is probably where the cause of the snake’s bulge came from.

I found it interesting that as I entered the garage just minutes from having my young snake encounter, I came upon an adult Black Rat Snake patrolling the storage area in search of a tasty rodent meal.  This could easily be a parent of the youngster outside.

Black Rat Snake

Yesterday, I had my first Black Rat Snake encounter of the year.  I usually find them basking in the sun at this time of year, but the high temperatures have topped 90^oF every day this past week, so there has been no need for snakes to seek the sun for warmth.  I think this is a good photo for people with a fear of snakes.  Who could be afraid of an animal that is powerless to stop a fly from riding along on its nose?  Oh, maybe some people didn’t stick around long enough to notice the fly.

The snake was emerging from the unmowed area surrounding the bird feeders.  This area is directly between the barn and the house, and is often used by the snakes as they move back-and-forth between the two structures in their constant search for mice.  This individual is making its way to the house.

The bright sunlight makes it easy to see the pattern on the snake’s skin.  So far, I have yet to see a Black Rat Snake that has grown large enough to completely lose the pattern of its youth.

The snakes enter the house through the garage door which is on the side away from the barn.  I’ve watched many snakes make the trip along the house foundation on their way to the snake access left open for them at the lower corner of garage door.  I’ve noticed some mouse activity near my bird feed storage area, so I’m sure the snake will find a couple of easy meals.  Using the bricks as a measurement aid, I think this snake could just make five feet long.

I’m still learning how to use the video features of my camera, so I have once again attached a video to my post.  The stairwell leading to an old cellar beneath the house acts as a minor obstacle to the snakes.  Instead of going around, they crawl down one side and up the other.  I filmed the snake as it left the stairwell and continued its journey towards the garage.  The video can also been seen on YouTube by clicking HERE.  I usually must reduce the size of the video file in order to post to Blogger, so the YouTube version is often has much more resolution.

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.

Young Black Rat Snake

My house, barn and garage are home to many Black Rat Snakes, but until now, I’ve never seen a first year youngster.  This fine fellow gained entrance to the house when I left the door to the garage open while I carried some items out for storage.  I came in to find him scooting across the family room carpet and quickly moved to intercept.  The house is not a snake friendly environment and I would hate to find one like him dead and dried out on some future date.

Young Black Rat Snakes are often mistaken for Eastern Milk Snakes.  The Milk Snake shows a light “Y” shaped pattern surrounded by dark coloration that is clearly visible just behind the top of the head.  The Black Rat Snake has a gray “V” that blends into the gray on top of the head.

A black stripe begins behind the eye and ends when it reaches the corner of the mouth.

The back is marked by a series of dark blotches.  The coloration of the young snake bears little resemblance to that of the adult.  The pattern changes to an almost solid black as the snake grows.

Broken vertical bars mark the sides.  The body shape reminds me of a train tunnel.  Flat belly, straight vertical sides and a rounded back characterize the Black Rat Snake.

A double row of dark blotches runs down the belly. 

Overall, this is a very handsome looking snake.  The snake was quite docile, but by the time this shot was taken, it had warmed up enough that it wouldn’t stay still for any more photos.

I let the snake down into one of my growing containers to keep it confined long enough for a full body shot.  This guy is probably not more than a month old.

Then I let the snake go in a brush pile near the house.  The pile contains large rotting logs that will provide security from predators while my scent dissipates from its body.  I’ve noticed several animal species, especially dogs, that are attracted to the scent of humans.  I wonder if handling wild animals might put them at greater risk from these predators.

The snake wasted no time moving down into the pile of logs.

I may run across this snake again, but for now, that’s the end of this tail.

Northern Water Snake

A young Northern Water Snake has taken up residence in my Water Garden.  I first saw it a few weeks ago and now I see it regularly.  Its normal resting place is on a mass of water lilies that have heaved themselves out of the water.

The snake is very active and spends a lot of time hunting among the rushes and other aquatic vegetation.  Unlike other snakes that visit the Water Garden, the Northern Water Snake stays close to the water and is not likely to interact with people traveling to and from the front door of the house. I would hate to have a snake injured as the result of an unfortunate human encounter.

This little guy is more tolerant of human intrusion than its more mature relatives.  Most mature Northern Water Snakes that I encounter are already in fast retreat because they saw me seconds before I saw them.  By moving slowly, I’m able to position myself at the edge of the Water Garden and observe this snake as it goes about its normal business.

I haven’t seen it catch anything yet, but I’m sure there’s plenty of food available.  Lack of fish in the Water Garden shouldn’t be a problem.  There’s no shortage of frogs, tadpoles and insects for the snake to eat.

The snake has some beautiful markings.  I’d love to have it stay here permanently.  I’m constantly impressed by the number of aquatic animals that manage to find the Water Garden.  Most have been young animals following their innate urge to disperse.  Turtles, frogs and snakes that require permanent water bodies in which to live, all have a time in their lives when they leave the security of their home and head cross country to settle in a new location.  This guarantees that genetic material will be shared and all suitable habitat will have representatives of these species.  Small areas like my Water Garden are often unable to support entire populations of larger animals, but one or two snakes may be able to have a good life here.

Black Rat Snake

I don’t post every one of my snake encounters, but I always take pictures.  Besides having a basic liking of snakes, I feel they have an important role in my overall management efforts.  I try to manage for healthy plant and animal communities.  I’ve always believed that an indicator of ecosystem health is its ability to support higher level predators.  The snake would not survive if the plant and lower animal base was not able to support the snake’s animal food supply. 

I found this Black Rat Snake searching a fallen log for potential prey items.  In this area, snakes are not normally considered top of the line predators.  There are still plenty of animals that would make a quick meal of this guy.  I assign importance to the snake population because that’s about the highest order predator that can sustain its existence totally within the Blue Jay Barrens Boundaries.  My small property can’t begin to sustain larger predators such as Coyotes, Hawks or Owls that may hunt over many square miles.  Individual Raccoons or Skunks may be able to live out their lives here, but there’s not enough area to maintain a viable population.  In making management decisions, I concentrate on those species that will most benefit by my activities.  Snakes fit neatly into that category. 

The snake checked out the entrance to every hole in the log.  Most of my Black Rat Snake encounters are around my house or barn, so I really enjoyed watching one in a more natural setting.

Failing to find any signs of possible prey, it continued its journey along the log.

At one point it crossed over and continued back along the other side.  Visibility of a light banded pattern is enhanced as the snake stretches its body across the log.  This pattern is the best long distance method of distinguishing the Black Rat Snake from the solid black Black Racer.  For some reason, many people prefer to make their identifications from a distance.

I wasn’t luck enough to witness the capture of prey.  After watching the snake unsuccessfully search both sides of the log, I moved on and left it to its hunt.

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.