Snake!!!

We went to Botany Bay yesterday. Cherrie and Sharon went earlier than I did because I was getting my hair cut. We didn't see a lot of birds, but lots of butterflies and dragonflies. I didn't take too many pictures and they were going on to Edisto Beach to look for seabirds, but I came on home--it was after five already. So these are my best pictures of the day--taken on the way out.

I saw this on the road from Botany to the highway. I would think such a distinct pattern would be easy to ID, but I don't see it in my limited book. I have decided it's a cottonmouth water moccasin because of it's fat middle. They are our most poisonous snake. My pals agree that's what it is. My book shows them as very dark, but this one is only between three and four feet long, so may be rather young and hasn't turned dark yet

I stopped perhaps 12-15 feet from it. When I got out of the car, it let me take several pictures without moving at all.


But when I came out from behind the car door and took a step closer, it turned around very fast and went back the way it had come with tongue wagging the whole way.

They can be very aggressive so I was stepping very gingerly and in turn-and-run mode. I'm glad it went away rather than toward me. It was so fat--maybe it had eaten recently so wasn't feeling mean.

Sssss is for Ssssnakesssss!

A rainbow snake--quite rare and unusual to see. All of these will show much more detail in the larger versions. Please click to see them larger.

I bet you predicted I'd do snakes! Here in coastal South Carolina our climate is semi-tropical and our habitats are snake city! I'm showing you ones I've come across here, but I've also seen three kinds of rattlesnakes--just don't have any pictures to show you.

This is red-bellied water snake.

Then a yellow rat snake.

This cute three year old cotton-mouth water moccasin....

.....will grow up to be this! Our most common and most dangerous venomous snake.

This is a scarlet snake--it gave us a fright because it is nearly the same as a coral snake, which is very dangerous.
Black racers can climb trees easily.
This is an eastern ribbon snake--very pretty.
This is a young banded water snake.

A corn snake--often mistaken for a copperhead. I don't have a copperhead photo either, but we definitely have them. A previous Dobe of ours was bitten by one in the night and when I took him to the emergency vet, there were seven dogs there with copperhead bites. Our dog died a few months later from a stroke caused by a blot clot left from the snake bite.

A big garter snake. I also don't have a photo of a green garden snake although one dropped out of a tree onto my shoulder once!
A king snake--quite handsome. Photo by our son, Kurt.

A rat snake that has recently shed it's skin. Our son, Carl, took this picture.

I hope no one is upset by snakes. If I have any of them misnamed, please let me know.

bwkrucke@gmail.com

Thanks.