I guess now you can call that a snake house instead of a bird house.

Glad to see him back, I am waiting for signs of mine to show up.

haha You know something keeps pokin its head out of a bird house I have way up high and even with binocs havent figured it out. I think this could be a clue!

They are amazing climbers!

And why, pray tell, are you happy he's back??? I hate snakes..............is there a reason I should like them???

I saw mine yesterday as well! I almost stepped on it....and, then it climbed up the jasmine shrub to the top of the fence.

Over the winter, it seems to have forgotten our 'agreement' that it can live in my yard as long as it doesn't scare the you-know-what out of me!

There are so many reasons to like them, one hardly knows where to begin, mrs tlc. First for me, they are beautiful, graceful, and very interesting to watch. Secondly, they play an enormous part in keeping down pests that are truly harmful, both to plants (large insects, like grasshoppers) and people (mice & rats). Without snakes, we would be overrun with vermin that carry deadly diseases.

Snakes fit into the garden environment perfectly, going about their jobs quietly and without disturbing or destroying a single plant in the process. In Central Florida, we only have 4 varieties that are venomous, and most of those aren't likely to be found in a typical urban garden. (Certainly, if you live in the country, that would change the likelihood, somewhat.) And even our venomous snakes generally give people a wide berth, if they possibly can.

Black racers, like the one above, are totally non-threatening in any way, fast as can be to scurry away when they spot you, and very interesting to watch as they slip through grasses, lifting up their heads like periscopes to see if they are being threatened by anything. I had one drawn to my hose the other day while I was hand watering some plants, and as I stood as still as possible, he inched forward bit by bit. He kept checking to be sure I wasn't moving at all, and he finally reached the bush I was watering. To my surprise (and delight), he lowered his head and began to drink out of each cupped leaf on the ground under the bush. After emptying about five or six of them, he turned and very, very carefully inched his way back to the fence, glancing back at me repeatedly to be sure I wasn't coming after him with a shovel. Then he slipped through the fence, climbed up into my neighbor's hedge and took a sunbath until time to go hunting.

It was a treat to see!

Hope you will learn to live with our resident snakes, even if you can't learn to love them like I do. They truly are your friend in the garden.

And wallisadi, congrats on such a cool tenant. My birdhouses tend to collect those exotic brown anoles, sadly. Or worse yet, Cuban treefrogs...though I'm hoping this winter killed off most of those. Haven't seen one so far, fingers crossed.

Marcia

I have my own black racer, nicknamed Maurice, who is now out from a cold winter and "a-hunting." For those of you with a fear of snakes, read this, Florida will look a little less "snaky":

http://atlasobscura.com/place/snake-island-ilha-de-queimada-grande

Thanks for the insight Marcia. I saw one the other day on a park-type bench that is outside our family room window. He was just sunning himself, winding his way through the wrought iron......ugh. I had to close the blinds. LOL He seems to live on that side of the house and we have 6' wooden fence panels stacked out there right now waiting to be installed so I'm sure he is using them as a home......

If I see one in or near the garden, of course, I'll leave it alone and let it do it's job. However, if they cross the domestic line (i.e. - coming in the house - which has happened). I can't handle that..................

I could use a few in my yard. We've had so many visiting rats at the bird feeder that I had to take it down. I'd take snakes any day over rats.
Nancy

Mrs tlc, it's good to see you are trying. I wouldn't want them in my house, either, though I have had to deal with it once or twice over the years. Usually not a big problem, but it IS a big surprise (shock?) when it happens. As long as you can tolerate them in your garden, that's great. It's more than many people can manage, I'm afraid.

I'm with you, Nancy. More snakes, fewer rats. Between my older dachshund, Potter, and my racers, rats seldom venture into my yard. Of course, I have to keep a sharp eye out to be sure Potter doesn't get any of my snakes while he's out patrolling, too.

I love my snakies! (And my birdies, and my butterflies, and my moths...but not my steenkin' CTF's!!!) *grin*

Marcia

Marcia

That's such a neat picture! I saw my first live black racer of the year yesterday. It was hanging out on my parent's front side walk and was about 2 feet long.

I have two black racers that live in my yard. Oba and Hobo. I saw Hobo Sunday.

What an awesome picture! Also, I mostly lurk here, just a beginner gardener really. your pictures are just beautiful, gives me much incentive!

love it! maybe they will have 19 or twenty kids like the Duggar family
and all pop their lil heads out!

Snakes really creep me out (sorry...) but that is a cute picture.

They look like the Geico guy! Look at those big brown eyes!

what get's me about the picture is how innocent they are. they do us a great service. but all it takes is a crazy neighbor with a shovel and their life is gone.

I love it! What great photos! Keep us posted on this cute couple.

Anna

How cute! Little pets you don't have to take care of...the best kind!

Yes that is a beautiful picture. I have one that went in my garage yesterday. He's in there...somewhere.

Black snakes have always been welcome at my place. If you think they are fast when they slip away from danger, just be in the right place and time when two of them get into a fight!
I'm not sure what two black snakes would fight about, but the incident I once witnessed must have been a territorial dispute between two males, or something.
Anyway, I was sitting in a lawn chair and two black snakes came charging in from opposite directions and began fighting right in front of me. They struck and bit at each other, grappled, and raced to and fro, striking at each other as they went, so fast the eye couldn't follow it. They were just a blur!
After a few seconds, one of the blurs had apparently had enough and streaked away, with the other blur streaking after it.
I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. While I had always known those things were fast, I had no idea they were THAT fast!

Okay, that video about snake island freaked me out. I have a snake phobia. While it was much worse when I first moved to Florida, it still exists and will not go away. I had a black racer watching as my husband and I battled with a large wooden gate to my back yard. I guess he was just curious. He had his head up about 8" off the ground just watching us from about 5' away. It totally freaked me out. I ran into the backyard while my husband got into a staring contest with it. After he went to grab his camera, it left. Camera shy?