Snakes

NOTE: Please forgive the tragic nature of these images. It is not my intention to offend, alarm or disgust my visitors, but only to educate and enlighten. About a month ago I was out taking pictures of Larkspur flowers when I heard rustling about 20 feet away. I stood and slowly moved in that direction, looking very carefully as I went. At first I saw nothing, but then I gasped quietly in surprise when I located the source of the noise. It was a garter snake that had just caught a blue-belly lizard, something I'd never witnessed in my life! The two were completely still as I creeped towards them, and I began taking pictures and tried not to disturb the event unfolding before me. Some may wonder why I didn't try to save the lizard, but it's not right to meddle with this cycle of life. This garter snake must eat. The lizard wasn't wary enough, and its genes will not pass to the next generation, but a more wary lizard's genes will. For me, this was a chance of a lifetime!! I've been out in the woods for countless hours from when I was a child and I've seen so many things, but this is the first time I've witnessed a snake's successful hunt. I am so happy that I could take these pictures, and I was quiet and slow enough that I was able to take all the pictures I wanted. When I was done, I backed away slowly and left the area, thrilled at what I got to see. A few days later another astonishing thing happened. I was walking down our road, very close to this spot, when I noticed something sticking out of the grass. To my amazement, a garter snake--and I believe it was the same one--had raised itself up about a foot off the ground and was staring into my eyes, I kid you not! We stared at one another for about two seconds when one of my dogs broke the trance by coming over, and quick as a flash, the snake turned and zipped away into the grass!! Never in my life have I seen this happen. Truly remarkable! And finally, if you can believe it, this happened AGAIN several days ago, but for just a few seconds this time...the snake seemed to recognize me and sank back into the grass to go on his way before we could lock eyes. So interesting! This image was taken in April, 2012.

A couple of weeks ago, Steve came into the game room where we have our computers and announced, "Look what I found in the shop!!" I looked into the plastic box and found a Pacific Gopher Snake hatchling looking up at me! Naturally, I exclaimed, "COOL!! Let's take pictures!!" After I took a series of images, we leaned the box on its side outside, and in a flash, he disappeared into the bushes and was gone! What fun!! :) Pacific Gopher Snakes are a fairly common snake which is found along the western coast of North America, from British Columbia to Baja, California. It can grow to be 7 feet long and is harmless to humans. In fact, it is one of the best pet snakes, due to its gentle nature and ease of care. If you would like to know more about Pacific Gopher Snakes, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: Pacific Gopher Snake . For more information and lots of pictures, CaliforniaHerps.com has a great page here: Californiaherps: Pacific Gopher Snake By the way, I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

Look what I found yesterday!! I went for an autumn photo walk along our ridgeline with hopes of finding some new mushrooms. As I walked, I peeked under logs and peered into stumps. I came to the log which once had a scorpion under it, and to my utter amazement I found this magnificent hatchling California Mountain Kingsnake curled into a compact ball! So exciting, a dream come true!! I simply LOVE snakes, and this particular species is one that I have long admired in pictures and vivariums (reptile store) but never imagined I would actually see in the wild! Given the fact that the sun was down and it was getting dark, I had to set my ISO to 1250 and my aperture to 3.5, and though most of my pictures were blurry, I did get a few nice ones! The lovely, gentle California Mountain Kingsnake is native to California but can be found in Oregon and southern Washington as well. I was surprised to find that they're not uncommon, but are secretive, which is probably why I've only seen garter snakes for the most part. There are 7 subspecies, but I'm not sure which this is. Hatchlings are 6"-7" in size and adults can grow to be as large as 4' in length with a lifespan of up to 15 years. They eat lizards, rodents, birds and eggs. If you would like more information about this stunning snake, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: California Mountain Kingsnake By the way, I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Explored on Flickr on October 18, 2012. Highest placement: #220.

A few days ago, I found this gorgeous hatchling under a log while hunting for mushrooms. I knew that Steve would go crazy if he saw this lovely guy, so I gently captured him and took him home for a visit. As I suspected, Steve was enchanted! There are about 45 species of Kingsnakes, which also include Milksnakes. They come in a large number of colors from solid black to almost white, with a dizzying variety of patterns. In fact, some species, such as this one, mimic the highly venomous coral snake , which only lives in the southern States. (NEVER approach a snake unless you are SURE it's harmless!) Kingsnakes are among the most popular pet snakes due to their docile, friendly dispositions and ease of care. In the wild, they are secretive, usually moving about during the day, and eat rodents, reptiles and birds. If you would like to know more about Kingsnakes, Wiki has a nice page here: Wiki: Kingsnake