Snakes….

Well, I had my first Arizona snake encounter last Thursday.  David says “encounter” is too strong of a word, but it seems fitting to me.

I was taking Max for a walk and saw what I first thought was a long stick across the road.  Of course, I did not bring my camera because I planned a very short walk.  I had just read an article in the local paper that snakes are starting to come out of their dens so I think snakes were on my mind…and lo and behold here is one in the road.  He/She was definitely trying to get from one side of the road to the other.  I did not get close and really only noticed that it was black and yellow.  After talking to others around here, sounds like I encountered either a good snake or a bad snake.  (Really did not think there were any “good” snakes around.

First guess is that it could have been a rattlesnake.  This is a “bless her heart” kind of snake!  🙂

It wasn’t coiled, like some people had asked me, and I did not see a rattler, but not really sure I looked at the tail.  They take the rattlers seriously around here, in that you are supposed to call 911 and they take them away to a remote location far enough that this will not want to return.

Or it could have been a common Kingsnake, which is a “good” snake.

They eat a lot of the pests that can be around here, and that can include rattlesnakes, thus how they get the “good” snake title!

Unless I see it again sometime and actually take a picture, I will probably not really know.  I guess if they are coming out of their dens, another good reason to head to Minnesota….if it ever stops snowing there.

That evening we went to the community potluck and I was telling people at my table about the snake siting.  One of the women there was almost a little mad that I had seen a snake after only being here a few weeks and she has only seen 1 snake in 15 years!!  Hopefully I got my 15 year one out of my system and will not have to “encounter” any more.

TIFN