I will continue on with the July 20th outing. As the title suggests, in this post we had a snake encounter of sorts. I have not seen many snakes this year. Maybe a half dozen total, but each time was a delight.
Before I get to the grasslands photos, I would like to share this plant with you. It is the Palafoxia (Palafoxia callosa). Shirley introduced this plant to me and it is blooming now. We are fortune to have it blooming in our limestone gravel on our driveway. A delicate small flower, but a favorite of mine.
Back to the grasslands. The mushrooms were all shiny with dew.
After we split it open, it looked like someone with a happy mouth.
The mosses are certainly happy!
A beautiful male Prairie Boopie (Boopedon gracile)! What a name, eh! Alan took this photo.
A fly with red eyes was attracted to the Prairie Gaillardia (Gaillardia aestivatis).
Do you spot the cat?
The caterpillar really blends in.
Most certainly, I am always excited to find a snake skin. The question in this case, was the snake still attached?
So of course, because we are curious, we had to pull it out to find out. It was not.
See the eyes?
And lastly this is the underside at the vent. In other words , the skin was almost at good as a live snake for me.
Keep looking!
5 Comments
I always get excited when I find a snakeskin! I wish I was more knowledgeable about ID of skins.
Well I was going to ask you two if the scales seen on a shed skin can tell you if it was a poisonous snake or not or if male or female, or any other info.
That cat blended in really well!
I saw Alan’s post on iNat of the Boopie. I had just posted this same species and Prairie Boopie came up and I thought is that a real name?
We were digging out a blackberry bush the other day and luckily didn’t hurt it but an Earth Snake crawled out. Neat little guys. We have seen several of these when digging in mulch of loose soil. Have not had my normal Checkered Garter Snakes this year. Only 1 Coachwhip and it died in bird netting which broke my heart. We now have dog Elizabethan collars that we put around the trunk of the peach trees that have bird nets on them so the snakes won’t just crawl through the netting on the ground and the slick collar would maybe deter them from getting into the net up the tree.
What I have read you can look for the pit on a pit vipers to see if it is a poisonous snake. That is if the head part of the skin is intact. I also know some snakes scale arrangements after the vent ca be double or single. I don’t know if you can tell if they have keeled scales. So maybe if you knew your snakes well you could get at least close. I don’t know my snakes very well.
I feel for you and your netting. But what a great idea on the collar! Good luck!!
I always get excited when I find a snakeskin! I wish I was more knowledgeable about ID of skins.
Me too!
Well I was going to ask you two if the scales seen on a shed skin can tell you if it was a poisonous snake or not or if male or female, or any other info.
That cat blended in really well!
I saw Alan’s post on iNat of the Boopie. I had just posted this same species and Prairie Boopie came up and I thought is that a real name?
We were digging out a blackberry bush the other day and luckily didn’t hurt it but an Earth Snake crawled out. Neat little guys. We have seen several of these when digging in mulch of loose soil. Have not had my normal Checkered Garter Snakes this year. Only 1 Coachwhip and it died in bird netting which broke my heart. We now have dog Elizabethan collars that we put around the trunk of the peach trees that have bird nets on them so the snakes won’t just crawl through the netting on the ground and the slick collar would maybe deter them from getting into the net up the tree.
What I have read you can look for the pit on a pit vipers to see if it is a poisonous snake. That is if the head part of the skin is intact. I also know some snakes scale arrangements after the vent ca be double or single. I don’t know if you can tell if they have keeled scales. So maybe if you knew your snakes well you could get at least close. I don’t know my snakes very well.
I feel for you and your netting. But what a great idea on the collar! Good luck!!
What a beautiful snake!!!