Mystery Prints and a Big Surprise

Every March into the first couple of weeks into April, the pine trees dump yellow pollen all over. Our hot tub sits on our screened-in porch and ends up getting a fine layer of pollen across it. On the morning of April 2nd, as I was leaving for work, I noticed this unusual print in the layer of pollen on the hot tub cover. Hmmmm....what could it be? A snake? A bird?

Something has danced on this cover. Stefanie andI were pretty convinced that it was a snake, but Dave wasn't...

But, because I did think it might be a snake, I kept vigilant. Well, last Friday evening April 23rd, I went out into the laundry closet on our screened-in porch (just across from the hot tub) and rotated laundry. While I was pulling out the laundry from the dryer I heard a hiss and a rattle. Once I heard the hiss and rattle, I stopped to make sure I really heard what I thought I heard. I heard a hiss and rattle again. This time I decided to look around and see if I could see the source of the hissing and rattling (a snake of course) and sure enough on the top shelf of the laundry room was a snake. He hissed and rattled at me again.

Oh, Daaave....where are youuuuu?

He had detected my change in tone and came out to find me and the snake in a stand-off. He went out to the barn and got the grabber-thingy (technical term), his leather gloves, and a bucket. He attempted to grab the snake who HISSED and RATTLED. This guy was ANGRY. We really couldn't see his tail, but we were pretty sure we were facing a rattlesnake just based on the rattling he was doing. That snake pitched one major fit---hissing, rattling, and putting himself into a strike position. Well, the grabbers wouldn't grab, and when he got angrier we decided to call Animal Control. They told us to get out of the snake's way and wait. The guy arrived about 20 minutes later. The guy takes one look at the snake and declares, "he's only an oat snake" and proceeded to go after him. This is when the snake began to really HISS and RATTLE and the guy changed his tune, "I think it's a rattlesnake 'mam and I hate to say, I'm deathly afraid of snakes".

Oh great, the animal control guy is AFRAID of snakes. So, he decided to call in for back up---his boss who just happens to live on the next street over from us. About 10 minutes later SHE arrived, and took one look, "Oh, it's just an oat snake"---then the snake HISSED and RATTLED and HISSED and RATTLED. Thankfully, she was NOT phased, took the grabbers that she had brought, and caught him. The snake was NOT happy---more hissing and rattling and his mouth WIDE open. She told us that oat snakes can imitate rattlers--it's one of their defense mechanisms. And, they can triangulate their heads to look like a rattler too!

Wow. Snake 101.

We then walked him over the other side of the berm and let him go.

Here is my little hissing friend

Another viewA nice close-up--believe me he was NOT smiling!

Getting into a strike position

After she caught him, we checked him out. Note the poor Animal Control guy at the porch door. He definitely wasn't getting near this snake. Ha! Ha!

Notice the snake has his mouth wide open.

Another view - he was starting to calm down--and I mean the snake...I guess the Animal Control guy was too though. :)

Another picture...

And, one more...

No wonder I always thought laundry was work of the devil. I have now had the serpent to prove it. Hmmm....I think I'll be checking out my laundry room more carefully when I go out there!

I guess with the berm work, we probably disrupted snake and mouse habitats. Since we've been having issues with mice, the snake was probably smelling them and decided to dine and reside on our porch. Lovely.... Just lovely ~ and he'd been there for 3 weeks from the time we found the prints...

Let's just hope he's the last.

And, yes, Dave, I told you so---those mystery prints were from a SNAKE.