Don’t Be Mihiiiiiisssssstaken.

Living in a neighborhood on an island surrounded by marshes and brackish lagoons, I like to let my imagination freak-out when the temperatures start warming up and the *fierce* wildlife start making appearances. I am infatuated with the frequent gators I see popping heads out of the water as I ride my bike or push my kiddos in the stroller minimal feet away. They are amazing creatures, and I also feel like a bit more predictable than the monumentally (in my opinion) more terrifying– snakes. We have so many snakes around our home, and with the pups and children and family hikes, I decided to take action to bestow a little knowledge upon myself.

Now, my initial research involved asking my sweet handy-man who knows everything about everything, which snakes to steer clear of and which are “non-venomous”. (Let’s be honest, I’m not planning to stick around and examine what the F the snake looks like. I’m likely sprinting (while making some awkward mom-scream noise) in one direction and hoping little man snake is doing the same in another direction (minus mom scream.)). Last summer we had a handful of snakes on our stoops and terrace that I just kept staring at, trying to google and take pics and send to “experts”…but I’d like to just have that quick glance general knowledge. Mr. Steve the handy-man warned,  “jus don’t go messin’ with a snake with a big ‘ol “triang’lar head”. Noted, Mr. Steve! The links below describe the others.

Snakes to (for real) Avoid

Non-Venomous Snakes

My searches were mostly for the Southeast, as that is where I hang my hat, but the sites offer info for other areas as well.  While I giggled at Mr. Steve’s teachings, I think it is actually helpful to know that the black snake (non-venomous) and the cotton mouth/water moccasin (venomous and *aggressive*) can look similar at quick glance, but the head is a big determinate if you get a decent look. And to put your mind at ease, less than 1/3 of all snake species are venomous, so I hear. The four different types of venomous snakes in the United States are: cottonmouths, rattlesnakes, copperheads and coral snakes.

I didn’t post pics because I could barely stand the passive internet image perusing. As a side note, I was reading some questions and answers on one of the sites, and I think one girl’s comment/reply said it best. Dialogue was as such: Man posts: “Does anyone know which green snake is poisonous…”, …girl comments: “F*ck Snakes.” Well said “Carmen145”, well said.