Eden.

My little garden had a welcome visitor. As I was inspecting the Satsumas I noticed a very still Ribbon snake. A very beautiful little guy about 14 inches long and very thin of body. He was patient with me for a while.

I kept on taking pictures while getting closer. This one was from about 8 inches.

When I got down to about one inch, the snake left quickly.

What a clear shot of that little fellow! and i thought eve gave adam an apple!

Not my Eve!

A small Cottonmouth waiting for my wife to feed the fish so he can eat a fish.

I got flat on the platform to get this head shot of the Cottonmouth.

When the Cottonmouth is near, many of the Mosquito fish get on top of the Lily pads.

So you don't have an adam's apple, you have an adam's orange?

How do you know all that stuff?

espn

Why do those fish get on the lilypads and why doesn't that snake eat the spider thing beside his head?

The snake goes under the Lily pad and the snake is like you, afraid of spiders.

I have seen the ribbon snakes eating large "Palmetto bugs".

Is just that snake afraid of spideys or do all snakes have arachnophobia ?

They just hate those webs in their faces.

tell me about your satsuma!
I have a few meyers lemon, and a thornless lime. I've been told I should get a satsuma going...
Is yours hardy for you, or do you cover/protect it?
Did you buy it, or grow it from seed?
thanks!
-T

The basic plant is hardy down to 20 degrees. It has bloomed and had the blooms frosted off. Then it blooms again. When the trees were very young, during cold weather, I would cover them over with hay (costal bermuda) . They have produced every year since we bought the plants. They are almost completely seedless. The rootstock is Mock Orange which means you must trim off any suckers that come from the rootstock. This is the one plant the fruit of which I have trouble keeping for myself. All the neighbors are addicted to them. They are the best tasting oranges I have ever eaten. They are very sweet and very easy to peel. They ripen in November, December, and January. We have never had leftover fruit. If unusually cold weather is predicted, I would cover the bottom 2 or 3 feet with hay. Pull the hay back on warm days. Get some.

Any chance I could trade for some seeds? I'd rather not have grafted stock...I have a harry lauders walking stick grafted to regular hazelnut and it is a pain to cut out the suckers all the time...
-T

I will save you some seed if I find any. These have suckers only once every year or two. Not much of a problem.
These fruits also get quite large. A little smaller than a Grapefruit, a little larger than a grocery store Naval Orange. I will start eating them this week. Drool-----drool.

This message was edited Nov 1, 2004 7:28 AM

Thanks! lol...
-T

Pretty little ribbon snake. We have the pleasure of seeing them once in a while...not the moccasins though. I'm just as happy they stay out of our area.

Dw says this one lives under our stairs. She has seen it often.

trois neat pictures of the snakes. I would say the Ribbon snake is attractive, not sure I can say pretty !!!!! I had no idea snakes even noticed spider webs. Donna






11

I was just ribbing Weeds. I don't think they notice webs.

[;~)

My left leg is longer than my right from trois pulling on it!

Well, you know why, don't you?

Mountain people often have one leg longer than the other.

Weeds wades in the swamps with her right leg on the ground?

imway .. I, for one, can certainly vouch for that (the one leg longer).
Ya gotta have, or ya could never manage to pull yaseff up the hills and outta the hollers !!
And one side of your face a bit contorted too !! .. LOL ..
A flatlander, re-vamped into an Ozark hillbilly!! And I wouldn't change it never, no!

- Magpye

In West Virginia the short legged hillbillies are called ridgerunners or so I'm told. The face contortations might have more to do with in-breeding. Some say Texans are flatland hillbillies. Other Texans ride horses and are called cowboys. Most Texans have never ridden a horse. I know of one in Crawford but, that fella hails from Conneticut. They are called carpetbaggers.

Now get calm, Way 2. It is cold here today. Down to 54! I must go buy a jacket, I guess.

Nahh, the face contortions are from having to whince and focus on the uneven ground that you happen to either be coming down or climbing up !!
Tho', one could easily take offense to the in-breeding comment ... but, I shall not take it that way ... Right?

- Magpye

You shouldn't, Mags. Got some of that in my own family. They claim that cactus spines make their eyebrow and upper lip come together.

It was 46 this morning and wet. My feet are cold so I put on a hat.

(whew!) imway .. ((lil huggeroonies))
We woke up to 38 degrees .. and have the wood stove fired up, and we're nice & toasty. But, yep, too wet outside to split more firewood ... (doggone it) .. hee

- Magpye

Home is where I hang my hat these days.