Garden Pests and Diseases: Oh no! Could Someone Please Come And Remove This?, 0 by DreamOfSpring

DreamOfSpring wrote:
How did it end? Well, I don't know if it ever ends. I've been too exhausted to write lately because I've been mowing, weed wacking, weeding, pruning, etc. Here's the plan:

remove habitat - tidy up, wack down liriope, vinca, etc esp around foundation.
remove food source
get that Zapper Equil mentioned to eliminate rats attracted to feeder
have the folks X mentioned come out to look for and seal any places
critters can get into the attic
be careful
buy some of those wild, wacky colored garden boots for leg protection
wear those stiff, heavy gloves while weeding (I usually do this for roses)
call envenomated guy if snake shows up again

After thinking things over I cancelled the pricey appointment for the animal control folks to come out and look for the snake. If he shows up again, I'll deal with him then.

On the plus side, all available info shows copperheads to be generally shy and non-aggressive (yes, I did read trois' thread, but they grow everything bigger and 'badder' in TX ; ). Literature also shows the copperhead to be among the least toxic of the venomous snakes and goes on to say that deaths from this snake are virtually unheard of.

In the end, as all of you who live in snake country know, we have to live with them. I used to watch those nature shows, and wonder why the zebras grazed peacefully with the lions resting in full view nearby - you know, just waiting until dinner time. Now I understand. They don't have a choice. Wherever they go, the lions will be there, too. So it is with the risks in our lives. I could stay out of the backyard, but there is no guarantee that a snake won't show up in the front yard, or as Lily points out, even in the house.

This weekend as I began to get a grip on my fear, get back on the horse I fell off of, and go back out there and reclaim my garden, the plan was not without a few wrinkles. I ran screaming like a girl when a bee buzzed near me. My dog nearly gave me a cardiac event when he brushed against my leg unexpectedly.

And then on Sunday I was sitting defiantly on my garden seat in the middle of a path bulging over with gaillardia, echinacea, lilies, speedwell, verbena, and a host of other foliage in which a snake could feel real comfy. Then I heard the very distinct sound of leaves rustling amidst the dense planting before me. The sound was coming from ground level. It was a dragging, reptillian sound. I kept trying to convince myself that it was nothing. But I kept hearing it, and worse it was getting CLOSER. Duhn..duhn......duhn...duhn...cue the Jaws music. Then in a moment of sheer panic, I froze unable even to manage a scream as a mottled brownish reptile "slithered" into view as it emerged from beneath a nearby viburnum.