Cul de sac copperheads

I live in a quiet Cary cul-de-sac. But there was quite a commotion there yesterday. Our neighbors' dog made the discovery while sniffing around some juniper in the front yard. Out popped a couple of copperheads! Right there on the driveway.  One was rather large. The other was no baby. Fortunately, the dog was quick enough to dodge the hissing heads of the venomous snakes. There were no bites but a lot of fear and clamor. A sharp garden rake put an end to the drama. With a little one in the household there was no other choice.

What about your snake encounters? The blogger with the best snake story wins a copy of my book Blue Ridge Reunion.

I've seen plenty of them but have never suffered a snake bite. My mother befriended black snakes in her flower gardens in Morganton. I wrote about that in my book. I once saw a snake eat a frog in the mountains. That was quite a sight. And I interviewed snake collector Tommy Spivey along the Waccamaw River. He was unique. Tommy had a pet raccoon.

This week I am doing a special online series on New Zealand. It is interesting to note that New Zealand has no land snakes. The country is also free of scorpions, bears and wild cats. There are plenty of sandflies and a few spiders, though.