It is NEVER a good sign when two cats, who really don’t like each other, are sitting together staring at the ground. I went to inspect and found nothing. Figured they were watching a line of ants or something. Took care of the dogs, and the pigs and returned to find Sam & Ninja still staring at the same spot with Ninja taking a poke at “something.”
This time I could SEE a tiny bit of the big attraction. I threw food bowls at the cats to chase them away while I ran to get a rake, as most of this thing was buried in the grass. I only had a glimpse of faded bands but was pretty sure that red touched black.
Here is what I pulled out of the grass!
1. Say, “Holy crap! It is bigger than I thought!”
2. Say that little ditty to make certain we don’t have the venomous version.
3. Detain snake with rake and take a cell phone pix while its tail is curling up my rake.
4. Wrangle very unhappy snake onto rake and poop scoop while keeping cats at bay.
5. Say, “Good-bye, King Snake! You get to live another day” while I chuck the thing over the fence and into the woods.
King Snakes get a very bad rap because they are similar to the venomous Coral Snake. The only difference is the color pattern of the bands. This is the second one that I have seen here in 12 years.
1. Glad you let non-venomous ones live. We have a few black snakes living in our shrubs.
2. I can never remember that ditty. I thought it was Red touches yellow – he’s a good fellow. Red touches Black – get back Jack.
So I googled and apparently red touches yellow, you’re a dead fellow, not a good fellow. Well, you might be good and dead. I’ve looked this up before but can never remember the rhyme!!
I think I’m going to try to associate it with a stop light – red and yellow together – caution and stop. I can probably remember that better.
Randy asked if you allow shooting on your property when he heard we saw deer there and Sam loves to snake hunt. Maybe the whole family will turn out for “training” one Saturday.
“Randy asked if you allow shooting on your property when he heard we saw deer there and Sam loves to snake hunt.”
That would be a big NO.
Remind me never to go camping with you 🙂
The stoplight thing is a good way to remember.
1. I scream for Ron. He knows the difference between my lizzard scream and my snake scream so he’d come running.
2. I’ve never heard any of these ditties and none would come to mind if I found a snake.
3. There isn’t a rake long enough for me to hold it while getting my phone out. More likely my phone has fallen out of my pocket while doing my “holy crap there’s a snake” dance.
4. Hopefully Ron has gotten to me by now…no possible way I could get the snake onto any kind of shovel to throw over the fence because I’m probably passed out on the ground!
Yes I am a sissy who has lived in FL for 40 years:)
LOLOL!
I am with you Nancy! It is the reason I don’t think I will ever live farther south then Michigan.
This is the easiest ditty to remember:
Red on black – OK Jack.
Red on yellow – kills a fellow.
I’ll have to get that tattooed on me, so I’ll never forget! I didn’t even know there were snake ditties! LOL
He sure is a purty snake. Glad he got to go free.
DuKe’s Ma, Terri
If I lived in Florida I would definitely get that tattoo.
Yikes!! My solution for snakes is “OK Jack” you move it!!
I would never hurt one but I’m not a big snake person that’s for sure. Luckily we do not have any poisonous snakes on Cape Cod.