Oh my gosh Marian, I would have been so scared if I encountered a snake! You are so brave and were so determined to killed that sucker. Be extra careful.

a good reason to wear gloves and long sleeves if it isn't dreadfully hot (but it usually is). I had a patient last year that did just about the same thing. Had raked all day then went to pick up the brush and got bit by a snake. Can be pretty scary because the antivenom does have cardiac side effects.
Mary

I'm glad you weren't bit. Just try to be careful. There's no reason to kill them. They're more scared of you and want nothing more then to be left alone. They are a great benefit to the garden and eat unwanted pests. We have more then normal this spring as well and there's copperheads showing up around here which is very uncommon. They usually stick to the western part of the state. We have mainly rat, king, ring necks and other non venomous kinds.
Karyn

They make my skin crawl just thinking about them. The bad thing is I have created a place they dearly love to hide in. Remember I put those iron ore rocks around all my flowerbeds and so forth along my neat little paths. I'm rethinking my pond in the front yard too. It's like 10ft from my front door has all the white austin stone rocks/boulders around it. Good hiding places for these snakes. I've also seen several water mossicans down at the big pond. I sure don't want them up here by the house. I'd have a heartattack and die right in my tracks.

I'm not going to be messing around after dark outside anymore. Might have to invest or get a loan to buy a pair of rubber boots for when I'm out working around the place.
I can handle just about everything but not SNAKES...

Karyn I'll let you keep them all. I let the other little ones live. But now that I know they were copperheads I'm sorry everyone I see has to go. If I don't kill them they'll crawl off somewhere and find a mate and make more and I don't want any.

I'll make a little sign and put up "Posted No Snakes Allowed" then I won't feel so bad when I kill em. LOL

Just everyone be careful the snakes are out in great numbers this year.

Happy gardening and snake watching,
Marian

You're a meanie! lol DH is petrified of snakes too. Does anyone know why there's so many snakes this spring? At first I thought it was just in this area but I've been hearing about it from a lot of people.
Karyn

Good Grief Marian the snake that nearly got you was a copperhead?

Whew!...

ive never seen a viper befor (the only one in england is the adder), why do people worry so much about snakes? if you leave them alone they will just carry on with there day.

The snakes in Louisiana don't know that. I was chased too many times there and I agree if that pond is close to your house you will have snakes unless you get a dog that will keep them away from the house. After out dog died there we had them come on the concrete porch and sun themselves. I can't tell you how many times I started down the stairs and fell back up them trying to crawl and fly at the same time. They were all poisonous ones there, cotton mouths and water mocassins and rattlesnakes 6 footers. Here I mostly see rat snakes and earth snakes but the trauman from before makes me terrified of them but I dont' kill these I get hubby to throw them in the next door neighbors yard that has a jungle of weeds, lol.

ROTFLMBO!! Kristy - you are so MEAN!!

Mike

See and people think I am sweet, lol. I can be mean at times. I just sent them back to where they came from. She never mows her grass until its waist deep and around here thats asking for snakes to move in, lol.

"I've seen several small snakes in my flower beds in the past couple of weeks but I just figured they were grass snakes, Now as far as I'm concerned they are alllllllllll deadly."

The manner in which you found the snake, the behavior of the snake, and the quote above make me think that your snakes are probably harmless adult Texas Brown Snakes. Many people mistake them for copperheads especially when they find one in a defensive posture.

Send me a picture of the next one you find or kill and I'll be glad to identify it. You may not need to garden in fear if all you have are brown snakes. Of course all the cautionary measures you are taking such as not gardening at night and wearing gloves are still a good idea regardless.

Oh Trust me it was a copperhead and they dearly love these iron ore rocks to hid under and around. IT's head was triangle in shape.

Wayne I'm scared to death of any snake so as far as I'm concerned they are all DEADLY. Most things I can handles but not SNAKES.

Seems there is an abundance of them everywhere this spring. My big pond is full of watermossicans. This is the very first year I've seen any at all in or around the pond. While watching for beavers a couple of weeks ago I spotted the first one which was huge. Then the more I looked around they were all over the place on the farside/ back side of the pond. Needless to say I'll not be going over there any more either. I tried to shoot a couple of them but my eye site is not what it use to be and I can't hold the gun very steady either. LOL

I have been thinking about putting some water plants and stuff in there on the backside of the pond. Instead I just took a bunch of siberian iris seeds and sprinkled them on the neat,clean mowed side of the pond. LOL Yelp, ya'll can call me CHICKEN.

Anyway, I'm staying clear of snakey looking places on this property for now.

Happy Gardening and watching for snakes my friends.
Hey Kristy, I don't think it's ugle out of you to toss those snakes back into your neighbors yard. Just make sure you don't pick up and toss a deadly one back over there. It might bite you. LOL

Maybe I'll find one of those poles with a rope attacthed and start catching them and sending them to Karyn since she likes them so much. LOL Only problem with that is I'd have to figure out how to get the rope off of them and I'd probably get bitten in the process.(smile)

Marian

Are you kidding? All I do is scream. Hubby throws them over the fence after he works up his courage. They are little ones. If I ever see another big one like we had in lousiana I'll be Fred Sanford. This is the big one Elizabeth~ I'm coming to meet you hand clutching heart and staggering around. Those things scare me to death. My ex moved a board and I was holding a 2x4 in my hand and he says don't move and I look down and see a big rattler coiled to strike. I spun around so fast screaming bloody murder I knocked him in the head with the wood and he fell right into it. I was on the other side of the yard before I turned back to see why he wasn't behind me, lol. Thank goodness it ran off and didn't bite him. I think I scared it as bad as it did me. I know there are good snakes so I won't kill them but don't want them near me. If it is poisonous and I know it I will though if I can find someone to do it for me, lol.

I am equally as bad with spiders. The only ones I don't squish are grandaddy longlegs and garden spiders. I will touch the grandaddies but not the garden spider, but I let them be.

Mary

I love spiders too. I never kill them, just catch them and toss outside. During the winter when plants are inside I'll let them remain with the plants. They are great to have around and kill all sorts of nasty critters. Just don't get bitten. Even non venomous spider bites often cause necrosis.
Karyn

I don't have a problem with seeing snakes in the yard. I am cautious since there is a large pond nearby and we are surrounded by woods---there have been lots rattlesakes, mocassins and coral snakes killed around here in past years. But when it comes to SPIDERS--they gotta go!!!! Everyone says "they won't hurt you" but let me tell you they make me hurt MYSELF!!! I am terrified of them.

Ya'll need to get you some cats. I live in the woods with a lake across the street, we have 4 cats. They do a pretty go job of keeping most of the away.

Dee