I'm skeptical! The "he" who "can spot animals before there’s trouble" is a man whose business is installing "natural" pools.
By the way, I love the subreddit, r/FindTheSniper, which features photographs where it's hard to see the snake (or other wildlife). I'm now convinced that I've walked by many snakes.
Anyway, let's say you do spot the snake before there’s "trouble," what do you do? I think you back off, and in the end, cede the pond territory to the wild things. Who is in the business of removing "natural" ponds (and their creepy denizens)?
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35 comments:
"We have a pool and a pond...
The pond would be good for you."
Yes, you have walked by many snakes…
Grandma and grandpa made a trout pond on their little forest plot. Trout, a pet bass that followed us around and would eat night crawlers from our hand. Tried ducks but they undercut the banks. Ut was spring fed so cold. No algae or duckweed blooms. Swimming was glorious. The flood took it all away…
Now, if I made one in my yard this morning there would be an alligator in it before dinner…
I've been less than 2-3 inches from stepping on a rattlesnake several times in my life. The most recent occurring during a walk with an old friend who owns a lot of Texas ranch land. I was following him, counting on him to break trail. All he did was cause a snake to coil and when I looked down where I was placing my foot I somehow jumped pretty high. It was still fairly early in the morning so while it was coiled I think it was still fairly lethargic.
Not much of a moral to this story, other than look where you step when you walk in the brush.
Back in the 1980s I made a lily pond in the back yard using an artificial pond liner from Lily Pons, MD, to make certain it stayed shallow enough to avoid being classed as a swimming pool by the county (and consequently needing fences and county inspections). I assure you, Althouse, that the Shibunkins (like a small koi) kept the water churned up and murky. One could see the colorful fish if sufficiently close to the surface, but not amphibians (unless up on a water lily pad). I don’t recall ever seeing a snake in our pond, but it’s not impossible they were there.
I would never be confident I could "Spot them before they caused trouble". But how many posionous water snakes are there north of Mason-Dixon line?
Normally snakes dont bother you if you don't bother them. the trouble starts when you accidently get too close. Otherwise, its just the creep factor. You don't want to be swimming along and see a deadly cotton mouth (sic) join you. BTW, here's a tip to keep them away:
Granulated sulfur is often used to repel unwanted critters such as insects and rodents around homes and garden areas, and it works on snakes too. Sprinkling granulated sulfur around the perimeter of your pond will create an environment that is unpleasant for snakes and likely drive them away.
How can you write an article in which man-made ponds in way-south Georgia (Moultrie and Thomasville) are discussed, without mentioning the ever-present alligator?
Georgia DNR: "There are approximately 200,000-250,000 alligators in the state of Georgia. Alligators occur from the southern tip of Texas to northeastern North Carolina. In Georgia they typically live along and south of the fall line (which roughly connects the cities of Columbus, Macon and Augusta)."
They're usually not aggressive towards full-sized humans, but still, several feet of powerful reptile equipped with lots of teeth . . . might be a bit intimidating, especially for people with snack-sized kids!
It all sounds nice, swimming among the koi and the lilies, but I don't want a swimming hole where I have to find the creatures before they find me. The first time I get in and then see the snake is the last time I get in.
It's the logs you have to be careful about. I've seen rattlers basking in the spring sun on hiking trails in Pennsylvania, and you could walk right around them, docile as can be. But South Texas is a different story, hoo boy. Once I was bird hunting in the brush country, stepped over a small log and a rattler reared up big n' tall, buzzing away. That's when I found out, when I'm really, really scared, I scream just like a little girl. Made a couple of nice hat bands out of that one. The general store in town had an old rattler skin stretched out high on the wall that you could make a serape out of.
Robert Marshall said...
How can you write an article in which man-made ponds in way-south Georgia.. are discussed,
without mentioning the ever-present alligator?
my cousin (well; 1st cousin, once removed, in-law) asked me This Poser:
"How can you tell, if water in Florida has alligators in it?"
Answer: "It's wet"
I converted an ancient swimming pool to a swimming pond like this many years ago. It had tilapia, catfish, koi, and plecostimus swimming in it. I also swam in it, but it was pretty lively. It was also a huge amount of work to maintain and keep clean. It gave me a real appreciation for the work and chemistry that is behind sewage treatment plants, because in many ways, that's what a project like this actually is.
"Anyway, let's say you do spot the snake before there’s "trouble," what do you do?"
You could call Steve Irwin.
Oh, no you can't.
I got bit once as a boy a water snake while playing in a creek in northern Pennsylvania, it made two holes in my skin but it was harmless, and if I had not picked it up by the tail, I doubt it would have occurred to it to bite me.
mosquitos
If the water moccasin fits-----
We live on the St Johns River in Florida. Snakes are our constant companions. From the wonderful black snakes who are always on rodent and snake patrol to the hated aggressive water moccasins. Our front yard is a live oak forest where owls and grey hawks live - more rodent and snake patrol. Between birds of prey and black snakes we're covered. Funny story - we were hosting Thanksgiving last year. As one of the nephews and his new giance drove through the live oaks forrest the Grey hawk snagged a large 4' long black snake and was endeavoring to gain altitude with it firmly clutched in it's talons. As the jeep approached, the hawk just cleared the hood but dragged the wriggling snake across the hood of the jeep causing the families newest fiance to bail out of the jeep screaming in terror. Absolutely f-ing priceless memory to be repeated and shared forever.
We have snakes all around us, pretty much all the time down here the south. As you do up north, though winter will slow things down quite a bit.
I've seen a few- occasionally one will show up in our screened in lanai (still trying to find out how or where they squeezed in). I saw one once lying across the upper sill of a window outside of our front door. That was a surprise taking the dog out that night. It had to have climbed up the side of a straight stucco wall to get there. I look up every night since then when taking the dog out.
Typically, if I see one, they're scurrying away from us humans. But I don't typically look for them, I just see their burrow holes all over the yard. My dog, on the other hand, is constantly nosing into places she shouldn't. I know she smells them, or senses them. I have to pull her back out of bushes, mulch piles, etc.
They live among us, eating the small rodents and geckos or anoles so we don't have to.
" I'm now convinced that I've walked by many snakes."
I can assure you, as someone who spent sometime in the woods in the Army, that you have. I remember one incident, it was early spring, warm enough for snakes to come out of hibernation, but could enough that they were very sluggish in the early morning. There were 30 to 40 of us ruck marching on a fire break. I was towards the rear and suddenly a guy about 4 or 5 places ahead of me let out a loud whoop and jumped sideway what seemed like 10 feet. He then started yelling at the guy ahead of him wanting to know why he hadn't told him a snake was there. Of course the answer was that they guy hadn't noticed it and none of the people ahead of him had either, but the snake was right next to the fire break in plain sight.
Then there was the time I was fishing and kept hearing a rustling sound behind me. I looked around and found a large snake wrapped around the branches of a bush maybe 5 or 6 feet from where I was sitting with my fishing pole.
Down here is rife with snakes. Good, useful beasties. What to do? Perhaps read up and recognize the snake.
Two things can happen if you don't, to wit:
One woman saw a garter snake near her foot and freaked out so badly she upset damn near every piece of patio furniture with her thrashing about after she fell down.
Overheard another in a cafe describing the beautiful snake she'd found and played with for a bit. A pretty brown with a gorgeous metallic red head. A juvenile copperhead of course.
Both belly-laugh worthy.
"mosquitos"
There are pumps and waterfalls keeping the water moving, so that's why I didn't mention mosquitoes.
Old and slow:
It was also a huge amount of work to maintain and keep clean. It gave me a real appreciation for the work and chemistry that is behind sewage treatment plants, because in many ways, that's what a project like this actually is.
Green blush slowly spreads
Spring's strong odor wafts about
Septic pond has thawed
Normally snakes dont bother you if you don't bother them.
They ALL bother me!
Twice, while tidying up my yard, I've reached down to to remove a small branch likely blown down from a nearby tree. As Gomer Pyle was wont to exclaim... Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
Half the people in my immediate neighborhood have contracted lawn service. Those who do their own still need a hand when off on summer vacay. For years, I did "mow & blow" and the occasional "other" chore on a job-by-job basis. Lots of "fun money" and great exercise for a 70-something guy (3 half-acre yards a day - push mower).
However!
You tend to wonder whether trimming dense hedges is going to excite resident hornets (ouch!).
Nothing on the anxiety scale, though, compares to maintaining a small ornamental "pond" that's part of a patio design. All you gotta do is reach-in to clear tired vegetation and reach under the dark water to make sure the plumbing is clear. Did I mention I live in coastal SC where reptiles outnumber humans about a million-to-one?
Someday, I'll learn to say,"NO".
Most snakes are harmless to humans. In our area, Althouse, there is only one poisonous snake you have to worry about. The Mississaugua Rattle Snake. They used to be quit common in the driftless area, but I havent come across one in decades.
So, Yes. You probably passed right by any number of snakes on your walks. In the spring and fall they like to sun themselves on walking paths.
The biggest issue with ponds like that is that sooner or later some critter is going to find it and eat all the fish. Herons and racoons or ferrets, something.
"... 'natural' ponds (and their creepy denizens)?"
How to say you're a city girl, without saying, "I'm a city girl".
Ron Winkelheimer: Plenty of other candidates = and more unpleasant by far if you don't do serious maintenance. We live near a park with a pond which the City used to keep up: attractive, clean water, fish, it attracted migrating ducks which produced squadrons of ducklings which delighted the kids, Then the hard-left City management decided to spend the money on woke wonderlands and bike trails so the pond surface is stinking algae and the only detectable life form left is a colony of snapping turtles which ate all the fish and then went for the ducklings, so no more resident bird life. Watching a pleasant water feature turned into the Great Dismal Swamp by neglect has been really depressing.
I'm now convinced that I've walked by many snakes.
And a lot of other little animals. Our eyes, like the eyes of other predators, are conditioned to use our rod cells to spot movement. Animals, including small mammals as well as snakes and other reptiles, freeze and are difficult for us humans to spot unless they contrast with their background.
You tend to wonder whether trimming dense hedges is going to excite resident hornets (ouch!).
@NKP, nothing beats driving over a yellow jacket nest with your riding mower. Doubly so when you hadn’t been aware of its existence.
Forget snakes. Who wants to swim with frogs?
Due to a family emergency, we had to leave our new (to us) in-ground Florida pool for a few weeks and we neglected to get anyone to manage it. People in South Florida may know what happens when you do that.
Part of it is when the pool guy says: "you really don't want to watch this."
Last week I came across a rattlesnake while walking on the beach in Orange County. Luckily it was easy to spot on the sand, but after that every piece of kelp looked like a snake to me.
Next door neighbor has a man made pond instead of a pool. Apparently based on old photos of the property the pond was kept clean and welcoming once upon a time. For unknown reasons he has let it go. So I have a mini swamp next to my house. There's a six foot tall privacy fence between the two properties. But based on the croaking at night I can tell that the Cuban tree frogs and the Florida toads are happy. The mosquitoes are healthy. He also propagates poisonous Cane toads by not maintaining his pond. I have to deal with all these nuisance and protect my doodles from poisoning.
I'd love for this guy to sell this property.
The last time I visited my ridiculous alma mater, New College of Florida, the environmental activists had torn up a portion of the once-beautiful lawns near the Bay and "intentionally returned it to nature."
"Nature," in this case, is a swath of sand-burrs, fire ant nests, and dead grasses, with multiple signs explaining the virtue of the exercise, readable only if you dare to wander into the trash-heap and avoid falling over laughing.
The poor lawn-workers probably have to carefully trained to avoid mowing it. It likely creates more work for them to keep the eyesore contained.
There are no signs about that.
JaimeRoberto said...
"Last week I came across a rattlesnake while walking on the beach in Orange County. Luckily it was easy to spot on the sand, but after that every piece of kelp looked like a snake to me."
Which beach? Crystal Cove has signs to beware of rattlesnakes.
Sadly, I wrote a super long comment to this post defending the honor of snakes in general, trying to put to rest people's irrational fears of snakes, and describing in detail the cool snake species (Hoggies!) in Wisconsin for our snake-averse hostess. But it turns out there's a character limit to these comments, and my post far exceeded it and couldn't be posted. Oh well. Short version: snakes are awesome, their danger is significantly overrated, and Wisconsin has cool ones like Hognoses, milk snakes, and fox snakes that are a fun challenge to find but worth the effort.
Rusty, it was indeed Crystal Cove.
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