Always nose your snakes

Ernie and I got a late start on our evening walk to the way back. On our return under a dusky sky his nose stopped and backed off something in a tuft of weeds: a snake. Without hesitation I picked up my pal and put him inside the shack. There was no need risking his getting a mortal bite.

Immediately returning outside with a flashlight within a few minutes I found the critter. Now what to do? I am fairly confident that friends and neighbors would have counseled whacking it with the shovel and be done. That is the usual treatment for serpents.

But the snake didn’t exhibit any aggression toward Ernie or a gentle nudge from a shovel. And respect for my animal neighbors of all types and sizes is increasing, especially spiders and snakes. Are they preying upon me?

Hardly.

So I have trained myself to not be hasty in disposing of either of them. Part of that behavior modification is to identify particular snakes; this one had no diamond or other intricate pattern, nor any unusual color. Even under a nighttime flashlight it appeared a collection of bland dark grey and brown bands.

At the risk that my decision would come back to bite me, I gave this garter size snake-in-the-grass a pass. But, did I do the right thing?

Enter Clint the Snake Man.

I immediately sent him an email with a brief description of the incident. After adding a follow-up picture’s address I copied from the internet Clint anointed my slithering tenant a “Nonvenomous western ribbon snake”.

“Nonvenomous”!

Vindicated!

Should you face a similar situation don’t hesitate to contact Clint. His quick response to a total stranger confirms his affection and respect for all species of them.

His URL is:

http://www.texassnakes.net/educate.html

Thank you, Clint.

The Nonvenomous western ribbon snake might put a wrap on that too.