My Friends are out

[jriepe]

This beautiful warm weather brings out the critters. Since I take care of my next door neighbor's lawn I decided to walk over and get the sticks out of the yard before the mowing begins and saw a couple of these Chicago garter snakes. Over all the years I've been seeing these I knew they were garter snakes but thanks to Natalie, a member of this forum, I know these are Chicago garter snakes.

Jerry

 

[Natalie]

Awesome! Yep, snakes are beginning to emerge in many northern areas now.

 

[Tommo]

Awesome! Yep, snakes are beginning to emerge in many northern areas now.

I have a photo for you that i will upload soon! its of a red bellied black snake in Australia its not tack sharp maybe cause i was about 3 feet away and shaking like a leaf as i had just nearly stepped on it!

 

[jriepe]

Thanks Natalie for commenting. Tommo, is the red bellied black snake venomous? Snakes don't bother me as long as they're not venomous or large enough to squeeze me to death.

Jerry

 

[Natalie]

Yeah, I've had a similar experience before with an Australian elapid.

Jerry - Yep, Red-bellied Black Snakes are venomous and are in the same family as the cobras. They're not the most venomous snakes in Australia, but definitely not something you want to mess with.

 

[jriepe]

If they are in the same family as the cobra I definitely do not want to mess with them. Years ago when I was a kid (boy that WAS years ago) my older brother told me to go into the barn to throw out some corn for the pigs. Copperheads had been seen around our barn so he had second thoughts and told me he would go. He took several steps on the weedy path and stopped dead in his tracks. Sure enough there lay a copperhead. Chances are I would have been bitten as I would have thrown caution to the wind. It's good that the three of us are still alive to tell our stories.

Jerry