The Deadly Thamnophis Sirtalis

[Viking45]

...otherwise known as the "Deadly Garter Snake"
Sorry about the large photos but I just thought they were so cool. These had to have been taken almost five years ago because I haven't worn that Seiko watch for that long.
We still have that old Nikon 4 megapixel camera and it's the one I took all those nice photos of my knives with.
My new Nikon cost twice as much and has twice the features and yet the old camera takes far better quality pics.
By the way we have these snakes all over our property,I usually walk through the yard with a rake and stir them up before I cut the grass. I catch what I can and move them,don't want to hit them with the lawn mower.
If you have a hard time viewing these big photos just right click and hit "View Image" it works better than trying to move the pic all around,then just hit the back or return button.

[peter44]

Granddaddy used to handle snakes in church, granny drank strychnine I can hear them banjos Dave through those speakers you stole from the drive in:lol:

[natcherly]

Those snakes are really cute! Why do women squeal like little girls when they see these guys? Paging Dr. Freud...

[heviarti]

what's really great is the way they evacuate their intestines at one end or the other when you capture them. it's never made me drop one. which reminds me of that college circular for women about doing the same thing to dissuade a rapist.

[john]

Snakes are awesome. I've had a few relieve themselves on my hand. I guess it's a defense mechanism. It didn't work.

[Viking45]

what's really great is the way they evacuate their intestines at one end or the other when you capture them. it's never made me drop one. which reminds me of that college circular for women about doing the same thing to dissuade a rapist.

That's right Arti,I have caught a hundred snakes in my lifetime and 90% of them do this. Not just black snakes and garters but many others including venomous snakes like cotton mouths and copperheads.
I see people catching poisonous snakes on tv and are far too rough,you don't have to be that hard on a snake. I found the best way is to place a long stick on their back and they turn to bite and then grab the tail and gently slide the stick closer to their "dangerous end" and then pick them up right behind the head.
When a snake has the sensation it can get away then that is all it wants to do. Once they feel they can slither away they usually stop trying to bite and move on.
Garters and black snakes are very aggressive at first but once you loosen your grip and allow them to slither from one hand to the other they don't bite at all.

I have caught many copperheads but I do not let them loose until I have them in a safe place and then make sure they are not wrapped around anything and give them a gentle toss to the grass.
Caught a few cotton mouths but these guys are no joke,their poison is worse than a timber rattler's venom.
I don't play games with a cottonmouth. Both are pit vipers but the copperheads venom is not really deadly unless you have an allergy but a cottonmouth is a different story.
The cm's here in Missouri are mostly very dark,almost black or very dark brownish in color but do have patterns on their back.
Also our copperheads are not as colorful as the ones East of the Mississippi or down South.

Snakes are awesome. I've had a few relieve themselves on my hand. I guess it's a defense mechanism. It didn't work.

I love all nature John. I still catch snakes when I cut the grass so I don't don't hit them with the mower.

This is possibly the 6th year now I have seen this little blue tailed lizard on our front walk. He/she is always in the same spot and has grown a little each year so I believe it to be the same one.
Actually called a blue skink. Fast as lightning!
(this is just a pic I found)

blue-tail-skink.jpg (171.19 KiB) Viewed 2060 times

Funny- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-tailed_Skink
Holy crap,who wrote this? 4 to 8 cm long I have caught these lizards with tails longer than that. Not quite a foot long but I know darn well I have caught them 8 to 9 inches.