Today's Visitor

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Blueszz

The second picture with the squirel is priceless. As if it's making up it's mind: can I nibble on this plant or is it wiser to leave it alone.

@Junebug. Your last series of pictures, the ones with the snake, are beautiful, but horrify me! Oh my, I can't stand the idea that whenever I have to check the orchids I should be worried about snakes. A snake hidden in a wooden basket really would be the limit. LOL
I'm so happy that snakes are rare here and I never met one in person in NL.

Most snakes, including these, are venomless. They're actually quite beautiful and are so important to the environment.

I don't see them very often. The snake/orchid photos were taken last summer...shortly before Tropical Storm Fay's visit. I saw other's during this time period too. I think they were looking for higher ground as protection from the storm. It's strange how animals can sense things long before humans.

I've only seen one 5' black snake this year. He's a frequent visitor to my compost pile.

[Blueszz]

They are beautiful and certainly important to the environment. It's that I don't know much about snakes, which makes them scary.
A friend has a snake as a pet (rattle snake) and I was able to touch it. Was quit surprised how it felt (warm and soft). They are fascinating, but I prefer them in the wild, not in captivity.

Anyway ;-) Thanks for sharing these awesome pictures. I really enjoy them!

Nicole

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Blueszz

They are beautiful and certainly important to the environment. It's that I don't know much about snakes, which makes them scary.
A friend has a snake as a pet (rattle snake) and I was able to touch it. Was quit surprised how it felt (warm and soft). They are fascinating, but I prefer them in the wild, not in captivity.

Anyway ;-) Thanks for sharing these awesome pictures. I really enjoy them!

Nicole

A rattle snake??? Are you sure??? Rattle snakes are extremely venomous and should never be kept as pets. Maybe your friend has a Rat Snake. Rat snakes are o.k., and commonly sold as pets.

P.S. I wouldn't be touching a Rattle Snake...ever...never...ever.

[Ranchnanny]

OMG!! I draw the line with snakes in and around my orchids. I can deal with squirrels but SNAKES

I recently killed a rattle snake in my driveway during my husbands memorial. I did it with a BB gun. That was the second rattler in the yard. My neighbor killed that one cause it was a big one.

Sheridan

[Blueszz]

Originally Posted by Junebug

A rattle snake??? Are you sure??? Rattle snakes are extremely venomous and should never be kept as pets. Maybe your friend has a Rat Snake. Rat snakes are o.k., and commonly sold as pets.

P.S. I wouldn't be touching a Rattle Snake...ever...never...ever.

I'm possitive it was a rattle snake, he also has two rat snakes which I didn't dare to touch as they seemed pretty anoyed when he showed me these. He told me how they can hold once they bite, yikes...
The only reason I dared to touch the rattle snake was because the front of the animal was in a clear pipe, so it couldn't turn around.
I'm not going to advocate for this person and his venomous snake (besides it's a completely different discussion) , it's a friend that I met years ago because we share the love for the same breed of dogs and we live in the same neighorhood. That is how I met him. For me it was the first time I met snakes IRL, and probably the last time
For me, knowing a neighbor kept such a snake would cause me to have neightmares

But... I really think they are fascinating and awesome when seen in nature, or like the ones you showed us trying to find a dry and safe place before the tropical storm. It's amazing how they can sense something is up!

Nicole