We get water snakes at the cabin and the variety of folks reaction's to them is quite interesting. Some people yell and scream and try to get rid of them. I've been there since I was little and never seen a snake do anything to anyone so...let them be. Snapping turtles, on the other hand...
Uh oh, turtles! Sounds like a story in there ... I once thought I saw a turtle swimming across a river and then as it came closer I realized it was a snake. It was really strange just seeing its head above water.
No big story - just that on the long dirt road to the family cabin, you do tend to run into turtles and the drive is long enough that they count as entertainment. Also, some of them are endangered (or so), so it is scary to see them in the middle of roadways. And we have clear instructions that if it's a little turtle, you can pick it up carefully and move it to the roadside; if it's a large turtle, you might use a shovel (some people keep one in their truck for that); but if it looks like that (it's a snapper) STAY AWAY and don't even get out of the car, lol. Dirt roads make too perfect of a sunbathing spot to resist, I guess...
Okay, I love the thought of this, of everyone stopping with shovels to move turtles from roads (but watch out for the SNAPPERS!). They do love being right in the middle of the road. I've picked them up here, very occasionally, and they hiss and I run, and there might be some yelling.
as mentioned I live on the top of a mountain and there are two garter snakes that are regulars one in some rocks by the house and the other kind of in the middle of the road on the way up. My spouse calls them Larry and Not Larry respectively. I am sure there are others and I am not entirely sure they are just two snakes but I enjoy seeing them.
We get water snakes at the cabin and the variety of folks reaction's to them is quite interesting. Some people yell and scream and try to get rid of them. I've been there since I was little and never seen a snake do anything to anyone so...let them be. Snapping turtles, on the other hand...
Uh oh, turtles! Sounds like a story in there ... I once thought I saw a turtle swimming across a river and then as it came closer I realized it was a snake. It was really strange just seeing its head above water.
No big story - just that on the long dirt road to the family cabin, you do tend to run into turtles and the drive is long enough that they count as entertainment. Also, some of them are endangered (or so), so it is scary to see them in the middle of roadways. And we have clear instructions that if it's a little turtle, you can pick it up carefully and move it to the roadside; if it's a large turtle, you might use a shovel (some people keep one in their truck for that); but if it looks like that (it's a snapper) STAY AWAY and don't even get out of the car, lol. Dirt roads make too perfect of a sunbathing spot to resist, I guess...
Okay, I love the thought of this, of everyone stopping with shovels to move turtles from roads (but watch out for the SNAPPERS!). They do love being right in the middle of the road. I've picked them up here, very occasionally, and they hiss and I run, and there might be some yelling.
as mentioned I live on the top of a mountain and there are two garter snakes that are regulars one in some rocks by the house and the other kind of in the middle of the road on the way up. My spouse calls them Larry and Not Larry respectively. I am sure there are others and I am not entirely sure they are just two snakes but I enjoy seeing them.
Larry and Not Larry! Hahahaha. It's good that they have their respective sunny spots.
"Mating ball!"
Love these....I am going to have my freshman biology class make their own version for a class assignment! Tara Cominski, Saint Elizabeth University
Tara! This is so cool, I love it. Please tell your students to share if they want, I'd love to hear!