Indigo Snake

[Eggman]

I found this 5 ft Indigo snake crossing the the road in my neighborhood yesterday. They seem to be very active during the winter months here in FL. Never seem to see one from April to November.


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[Nova]

This is exactly why I like sub zero MN winters

 

[bigbendmarine]

Nova, that's a friendly right there!!! Was googling the distribution range, as oddly despite seeing snakes quite regularly at my place in North Florida I've yet to see an indigo. Laughed out loud at the description that accompanied this picture on one of the google hits...



"Orianne Society volunteer with an indigo snake. Strippers like to use indigo snakes in their acts because they are long and docile, seldom biting humans."

 

[bigbendmarine]

Eggman, truly a bit jealous!

Not nearly as impressive size wise but did have this really colorful bluestripe garter run across one of my plots as I was discing it this fall. From what I've read, Florida is pretty much the only area they're found with the blue-green coloration.

 

[j-bird]

I love snakes. My wife and daughters hate them, but I like having them around. Indiana has only a few dangerous ones but many are beneficial in controlling rodents and bugs and the like. I typically have a large black snake out in a barn of mine that the wife refuses to enter because she knows the snake is out there! Last winter I had to remove a corn snake from our basement as he had moved in from the cold.....my daughter was not to happy about his presence. I try time and time again to show my girls that for the most part snakes are nothing to fear, but the reaction of my wife has influenced them to the point that panic is the expected reaction.....all while I stand there holding it! Snakes are just another part of habitat and the animal world.

 

[Tap]

I really can't understand the hatred some people have for snakes. IMO, if snakes are killing mice, then they're okay by me.
We were cleaning up some scrap lumber at my niece's last summer and there was a small garter snake in the pile. The niece's stepfather said "get me the shovel so I can kill it". I read him the riot act and brought the snake home and released it.
I've also saved blacksnakes from being run-over on the road.
To all you scardy-cats out there that are petrified of snakes...MAN-UP...it's just a snake.

 

[j-bird]

I'm with Tap. First of all they startle me when I see them and am not expecting it....it just happens. That however doesn't mean you have to stomp it to death. I will admit I get more aware and fearful when around water as 2 of the 3 dangerous ones here (copperhead and cotton-mouth) tend to be found in or near water. IN does have rattle snakes, but they are timber rattlers and tend to be in more isolated pockets. Anytime I am digging in some sort of pile of wood (firewood or lumber or even brush) I simply expect to find a snake. A good healthy black snake can be be a very efficient mouse trap. I have even been told that a good snake will even prevent issues with coons and skunks and the like taking up residence in barns as well, apparently they don't like snakes either! I would much rather cope with a snake than the issues mice and coons can cause.

Here is the corn snake I captured in the basement - it was roughly 18" long.....

 

[Peplin Creek]

Nope... get the shovel....

 

[bigbendmarine]

I like having friendlies around, though ticks me off in the spring when our local rat snake population works on defeating my bluebird box baffles. Even then I don't kill them / just angrily remove them and relocate them to the far edges of my fields while giving them a stern lecture on staying away from the boxes.

Will also go out of my way to avoid hitting even venomous snakes when driving in our neck of the woods -- actually find them to be beautiul creatures and appreciate they're just a part of the local ecosystem. With a young daughter and dogs at home and both in the yard a good deal, though, I don't have quite the tolerance within my own property lines, and the closer to the house the less tolerance I have.

 

[Nova]

I will deal with Mosquitoes the size of Taradacltes rather than a snake. Granted most aren't poisonous, but some are. We have fox and opossum to take care of rodents and ticks, I don't need snakes too. You guys like them so much, keep em. I have no interest in starting a love affair with them. Bring on the 20 below temps!!!

 

[Tap]

I will deal with Mosquitoes the size of Taradacltes rather than a snake. Granted most aren't poisonous, but some are. We have fox and opossum to take care of rodents and ticks, I don't need snakes too. You guys like them so much, keep em. I have no interest in starting a love affair with them. Bring on the 20 below temps!!!

Ever think about turning in your man card. Just kidding.

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[JFK52]

I lived at a rental farm house outside of Poynette, WI in the late 1970s to early 80s. There was what was described to me as an old "grease pit" in the back yard. It was a hibernaculum for reptiles of all sorts. When I opened the cover on it one time in December, I was amazed to see 20+ salamanders and an equal number of garter snakes just hanging out on the bottom waiting out winter. The hole was about three feet in diameter and a good six to eight feet deep. It had a concrete cover. It was funny how all the reptiles knew about this place. It must have been used for many years as their over winter location.

 

[j-bird]

I lived at a rental farm house outside of Poynette, WI in the late 1970s to early 80s. There was what was described to me as an old "grease pit" in the back yard. It was a hibernaculum for reptiles of all sorts. When I opened the cover on it one time in December, I was amazed to see 20+ salamanders and an equal number of garter snakes just hanging out on the bottom waiting out winter. The hole was about three feet in diameter and a good six to eight feet deep. It had a concrete cover. It was funny how all the reptiles knew about this place. It must have been used for many years as their over winter location.

The old farm house we lived in - there was a cavity under the front porch (concrete) and when we tore the place down the track hoe operator about jumped out of his shorts when he pulled that large piece of concrete away and there was a ball of snakes in there! I told him to give me a minute and I would move them with a rake and I headed for the barn......I heard THUD, THUD, THUD.....and felt the ground shake....he used the bucket on the hoe like a giant hammer! He was squirming in his seat the whole time! Poor snakes didn't hurt nobody.....

The wife come out once while I was washing the car and I knew the snake was out as it was sunning himself on the sidewalk. He wasn't bothering me so I left him be. The wife comes out for something and she didn't think and kicked it out of her way with her foot and then the "hose" as she thought it was....slithered off.....she covered 50 feet in 2 steps screaming the whole way!!!! I had a good laugh.....she was not a happy camper!

 

[Catscratch]

No fear of snakes at all. It always struck me odd when someone freaks out about seeing one but I don't judge someone on what they are or aren't afraid of (heights give me the heebee geebee's, I have have friends who will walk right up to the edge of a cliff without hesitation... they are bat shit CRAZY!). I understand the venomous thing and will gladly dispatch a poisonous snake near the house or camping spot, but that is VERY seldom. We only have copperheads and massasauga here and they are pretty secretive, so no real worries. People say they see cottonmouths all the time but none have ever been documented in this part of the state and I have yet to see anything other than a water snake when people start screaming and dancing around.

Any chance the pic of the girl holding the snake is just the first of a sequence to illustrate the caption? :)

Just so you know JKF... salamanders aren't reptiles.

 

[Nova]

I know a guy that had a rattle snake crawl into the back of his turkey vest when he was turkey hunting in southeast MN. Man card or not, that would make you pee your pants or worse

 

[Catscratch]

I know a guy that had a rattle snake crawl into the back of his turkey vest when he was turkey hunting in southeast MN. Man card or not, that would make you pee your pants or worse

Ya, I would have probably released my scent gland on that one!

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[j-bird]

I know a guy that had a rattle snake crawl into the back of his turkey vest when he was turkey hunting in southeast MN. Man card or not, that would make you pee your pants or worse

Yep - I agree.....call me what you want, but I'm going to freak out over that as well! i think being afraid of things that can kill you is a good thing!!!