This issue is about
snakes with the hope that it will provide a greater acceptance of these related
animals. Related to us they are, because
snakes are vertebrates, that is, they have a spine, just as we do. However, they
are more nearly akin to lizards than to humans.
Sightings of snakes
this year has been less than years past.
We have seen no rattlesnakes and very few of the others. The long dry summer may have had some bearing
on their presence.
Most people hate
snakes. That hatred seems to be built in
to most of us, but some of that may be the result of a lack of understanding of
snakes and their habits. Some have a poisonous
bite and that needs to be of concern. We
talked to an elderly rancher in the area and he told us about how his 18 month
old son was bitten on the knuckle of one hand. The year was about 1960. They
rushed the child to a doctor who began treatment by making several cuts in the
hand and arm, then applying suction cups to remove the venom from the blood
stream. Finally, after some difficulty
in finding an anti-venom, the doctor injected that into his arm. The baby recovered with no ill effects. We will talk more about this poison problem
in later paragraphs.
In Texas we have
about 110 species and subspecies of snakes.
Interestingly, these 110 are from four different families. Not all snakes are of the same family.
The family of blind
snakes have only four members. This
family is named Leptotyphlopidae. The
blind snake that might be found in our area is the Plains Blind Snake, leptotyphlops
dulci, but it is unlikely you will find one as they are small (8-12”) very reclusive and look more like an
earthworm than a snake. This is a harmless reptile and should not be killed. Because of their nature, don’t count on adding
one to your life list of snakes. Here is
what they look like:
They are not really
blind, but that small black dot on the head is a very small eye.
The next family of
snakes are the Colubridae, a family with the most species in Texas. Of the 110 snake species in Texas, there are
about 23 that exist in our area.
We will pick
certain ones to discuss from some aspect of their uniqueness.
There are several Rat Snakes that live here, and they are
unique in their ability to climb. One
would not be surprised to see them loafing on the horizontal limb of a tree or
on the cross beam of a barn. They are
aptly named since they prefer rats and mice for their food. Here is the Texas Rat Snake, elaph
obsolete lindheimerii probably the most common of the rat snakes in our
area.
When you happen to
see this snake, be extra observant of its markings, because the back has
splotches which can make you think it is a rattlesnake when it is not. Keep this snake, as it is a good one.
The Bull Snake pituophis catenifer is probably the most misidentified snake of our
area. This is because it is big, has
markings like a rattlesnake and even a vestige of a rattle on its tale. However, it’s just another good snake. Its redeeming feature is that the head is not
triangularly shaped like that of the rattlesnake.
The King Snakes are unique in that they
will often fight with other snakes and even devour those they can. When we lived in Louisiana, we observed a
king snake that had wrapped its tail around an azalea bush and was tugging on
something underneath the concrete of the sidewalk. We took a closer look and found the king
snake trying to pull another small snake out from under the concrete. We left it to the task at hand.
Our most likely to
be seen King Snake is the Desert King
Snake, lampropeltis getula.
There are several
whipsnakes in Texas but only one which can be expected in our area. That’s the Central Texas Whipsnake masticophis
taeniatus. It obviously gets the
name whipsnake because it probably is the snake with the most slender body,
with the back half almost whip-like in diameter.
The Blotched Water
snake, nerodia erythrogaster is fairly common here, near wet areas. It has the coloration and markings that might
make you think it’s a moccasin, so you need to look closely at the
markings. The same goes for the diamond
backed water snake.
The Rough Green Snake opheodrys aestivus is one of the few snakes that are all one
solid color. It tends to be a small
snake that you might find in the garden.
The Texas Brown snake storeria dekayi is found here, and once again, it’s not always
easy to distinguish a harmless snake from a poisonous snake. A quick sighting of this snake could make you
think it was a copperhead, but notice the brown color and not the more rosy
color of the copperhead.
We often hear the
term garter snake. We have one that
might show up in our area, and that is a Texas
Garter Snake. Typical of all garter
snakes, it has long, continuous stripes along its whole body, some being of
different colors.
Now to the fun
part, the poisonous snakes. Of the four
families of snakes in Texas, two of them are poisonous; the elapidae and the viperidae.
Only one species of
elapidae, the Coral Snake micrurus tener exists in the whole state, and we have our share here. In the last 10 years, we spotted one in our
yard. This snake, although not the only
banded snake, is quickly identified by the old adage “red and yellow kill a
fellow”. Meaning, of course, if the
yellow band is adjacent to the red band, it’s a coral snake. There are other banded snakes where the red band
is not next to the yellow band.
The coral snake is
not aggressive, and does not have the fangs like those of the rattlesnake. Its venom is very toxic, but for it to inject
the venom, it needs to bite and to hang on and do a bit of chewing, quite
unlike a rattlesnake.
The other poisonous
snake family is the Viperidae—consisting of rattlesnakes, the cottonmouth and
the copperhead.
There are three
species of copperheads; only the broad banded copperhead is likely to be found
here. Copperheads are rather shy, but of
course will bite if disturbed and threatened.
I recall one time while in a wooded area doing some chain sawing and
felt something move under my foot only to look down and see that I was standing
on a copperhead of good size. Knowing at that time that copperheads like to
travel together, I looked around a couple of feet away, and there was a second
one.
We have only one
cottonmouth to avoid, and that is the Western
Cottonmouth agkistrodon piscivorus. The prevalence of this snake in our
dry area is not clear, as this snake really likes marshy wet areas, not only
fresh water but brackish water as well.
When fishing in the brackish water of the coast, it’s possible to spot
several in any one day. They also like
to hang up in the brush over the water (and drop into the boat at the last
minute). The cottonmouth is reportedly the most aggressive of the vipers, so
this needs to be taken into account if you encounter one.
The coloration of
the cottonmouth is grayish with some markings on the sides and the inside of
the mouth (should you get that close) is whitish, thus the name.
There are ten
rattlesnake species in the state, if you include the massasaugas, of which
there are two.. But, there is good news,
we only have one here, and that is the Western
Diamond Backed Rattlesnake crotalus
atrox. It’s easy to distinguish a diamond backed
rattlesnake from its look-alikes by several features: the diamond pattern, the triangular head, and
especially the short, thick body.
Here are some
thoughts on what to do to avoid getting bitten by a poisonous snake.
§ Avoid reaching into
blind areas, around rocks and under bushes.
§ Use a stick or cane
to probe an area before reaching into blind areas.
§ Watch where you
walk, especially at night.
§ Be alert to the
sound of a rattlesnake. Once you hear
one you will never forget it.
§ Don’t pick up any
snake because the non poisonous ones will bite just like the vipers.
On this point about
walking outside in the dark, it’s good to know that the rattlesnake has a heat
detecting sense like no other snake. It
can sense a warm body and strike exactly on target even if it has no sight of
it. All the more reason to be careful at
night.
Here are some
thoughts on what to do if bitten by any snake, but especially by a poisonous
one.
§ Avoid exertion to
minimize the circulation of the venom in your bloodstream.
§ Get medical
attention as soon as possible.
The old timers did
not have access to medical treatment, and so they made several incisions in the
affected area and sucked the blood out by mouth. Medical people today advise
against this. But, it’s the treatment I
would use if I were 8 hours away from a doctor or a supply of anti-venom.
Sightings
This has been an
exceptional autumn because of all of our rainfall. Our KR bluestem is luxuriant. Although a rather undesirable, introduced,
weedy species of grass it does however, in its early growth, feed cattle and
wildlife. And now it is loaded with
seeds for the birds.
Lindheimer Senna
Above is a picture of a single Lindheimer
senna (Senna Lindheimeri) and below
is the backyard full of them along with Zexminia.
Giant blue sage and
Zexminia
Salvia
azurea dormant for a couple of years finally had enough water to reach for
the sky. A beautiful shade of blue, its
azure color and 3-6’ tall height make it easy to identify.
Yaupon Tea
John Siemssen sent
us a very interesting video about two entrepreneurial sisters in Cat Springs
who are making and merchandising Catspring Yaupon Tea.
Pigeon berry
Rivina humilis, according to the AgriLife Extension booklet,
is a groundcover. However ours acts more
like a vine and spreads rapidly. It will
grow in moist or dry soil in shade or semi shade. The red berries are a favorite of birds.
Straggler Daisy or
Horseherb
Calyptocarpus vitalis is listed by
Endquist in Wildflowers of the Texas Hill
Country as a plant at the edge of the woods in the wild and as a lawn pest
in town. While AgriLife calls it a “groundcover recommended for revegetation: tolerates some
foot traffic; great for shade”. Since we
consider our place to be in the wild, we let it have free rein.
Bee Brush,
Whitebrush
Discovering this
Bee Brush (Aloysia gratissima) was a big surprise as its right in the backyard
not far from the house. However, we had
never seen it bloom before. According to
Jan Wrede (Trees, Shrubs, and Vines of
the Texas Hill Country) Whitebrush gets its name from the fact that it will
“…burst into bloom and be an outstanding white bush for several days after a
good rain.” The Bee Brush name comes
from its fragrant scent that attracts honeybees. It provides dense cover for wildlife, but it
is poisonous to horses, mules and donkeys.
R & D Tusch
