It’s been rainy here in the Bluegrass, and that means…snakes are coming out of their burrows.
We’ve seen the occasional snake around the property before, but sightings have markedly increased in the past few days to the dismay of Mrs. J., who is extremely not fond of legless reptiles.
We were out back near the garage yesterday afternoon when I suddenly heard a cry of:
"AhhhhhhAhhheahaaaaaaaeuGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
“What is it? Where?”
“There!!!”
Sure enough, a sizable rat snake was sunning himself in our driveway. I estimate he was in the four foot long range. I was barefoot (not optimal for snake repelling), but tried to scare him away by slapping my foot against the asphalt a few feet away from him. No dice. He stayed where he was, tongue flickering.
By the time I had gotten shoes on and prepared to make a relocation attempt, it had started raining and the snake had disappeared.
Most of our resident snakes are of the species Snakus garterianus, but rat snakes are a close second, and while non-venomous, can exhibit a nasty temper. Worse, they don’t seem to have made much of a dent in the local rodent population, judging by the number of mice I trap indoors during the fall.
Rat snakes have occasionally been known to take up residence in basements and attics, a fact I don’t think I will share with Mrs. J.
*the Kentucky snake situation is so far nowhere as…interesting as it was in southeast Texas, where we had to contend with much bigger specimens, including Slobodan, who reared up and hissed at Mrs. J. as she was coming down the back walk, the possibly venomous one I nearly stepped on near the house while carrying in bags of groceries, and the water moccasin who glided by during a tropical storm.
