If you bring in a dozen dump truckloads of boulders to build a waterfall you'd better be prepared to appreciate snakes in your yard, right? The rattler hiding under the chair was a bit startling--it did not seem possible that anything besides a cricket should fit under there.
We have seen Gopher snakes courting and probably mating twice now. I have no idea how long snakes live, but every time I see one of the Gopher snakes, I hope it is the one that we got from Home Depot. We rented a ditch digger to put in some of the irrigation pipe. After we got the machine out of the truck a pencil sized baby Gopher snake crawled out of it. We encouraged it to go over the bank.
The other snake we see most often is the Yellow-bellied Racer. It likes to hang out by the back porch too. It often startles me by moving under the big thyme plant. Sometimes it likes the stone stairs down the side of the house. Once, one was weaving in and out through the tiny cracks in the concrete blocks, which did not seem possible either.
Adding a Garter snake to the collection. It was along the edge of the Columbia River at Confluence State Park (at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers. I've spotted these snakes sunning at the margin where the grass starts above the cobbles they use along the shore to help hold the edge of the bank. They quickly slip into the rocks and away if one gets too close.
Adding the garter snake, from Kalaloch, to this journal entry so I can find it more easily.
Small rattlesnake, hiding under the leg of the chair on our back porch.
This snake is moving around one of our patios, hugging a planter.
Spotted two empty snake egg shells and a hole that I think was their nest. They were up on the hill where the sun hits most of the day, though it comes up late and sets early because we are in a canyon.
This Gopher snake flattened its head to look more like a Rattlesnake.
Black snakes at edge of the Columbia River in Confluence State Park. The east bank is covered with round rock to stabilize it. These snakes will come up onto the very edge of the grass to sun, but quickly wend their way through the rocks to safety if disturbed.
Large gopher snake. It was crossing the driveway until it spotted me, then it went and tried to hide under a rock. Then it disappeared into the shrubs.
Two snakes were on the road, then moved up into the shrubs on the bank. One seems to be the same as the other observation on 2018-05-18.
One of three snake skins I've found this month. This one shows the eye very well. The snake used the tight brnaches of an agastache as a scraper or holder to get the skin off. We have Yellow-bellied racers that hang out in this corner of the yard, so that is the most likely type, with Gopher Snake as second choice.
I am guessing this is a Gopher Snake because they’ve been seen near this part of our yard and it’s much larger than the Yellow-bellied racers seen around the same area.
Sinning on the road? Seems too hot at 90+ degrees but maybe. I wonder if this snake is showing off s shiny new skin? It might be the one that fits the skin found a few days ago. It does not seem to be our biggest Gopher Snake—maybe #2... I took its photo and then followed it when it turned to get off the road to be sure it went all the way off the pavement. (Our neighbors would probably drive on it on purpose because they “hate snakes.”)
It was cold and foggy on the coast, around 60 degrees. This snake was warming up in the sun.
Baby snake about 9 or 10” long. I tried to aim it toward the edge of my driveway and it did a strike. Fierce.
Sometimes I hate that someone probably went out of their way this morning to drive over this big old snake.
Black band across face and through eyes. Patterned like Gopher/Rattlesnake.smooth pointed tail, no rattles.
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