06/14/2026
Snakes 💕
Early summer, and the snakes are on the move — through gardens, along fences, across warm paths in the evening. Most people meet a snake and reach for a shovel. You don't need to know which snake it is. You need to know one thing: leave it alone, and it leaves you alone 🐍
🐍 Common garter snake — the one you see most. Slim, striped, completely harmless. She spends her day eating slugs, grubs and the insects chewing your vegetables. The most useful neighbor your garden has, and the one most often killed by mistake
🐍 Eastern rat snake — long, dark, and a brilliant climber. She's not after you, she's after the mice and rats in your shed and woodpile. One rat snake working your property is better rodent control than any trap
🐍 Northern water snake — found near ponds, streams and pool edges. Harmless, but quick to flatten her head and bluff when cornered, which is why she's so often mistaken for something dangerous. Step back and she'll slip into the water
🐍 Eastern milk snake — smooth and glossy with reddish-brown saddles. She eats rodents and other snakes, including young copperheads. Her pattern mimics a venomous snake on purpose, a bluff that fools predators and people alike
🐍 Copperhead — the one venomous snake worth recognizing across much of the eastern states. Coppery head, hourglass bands. She won't chase you and she'd rather not bite. Give her a wide path and let her go her own way
🌿 The universal mistakes to avoid:
- Don't kill a snake to be safe — most bites happen when someone tries to handle or kill one
- Don't reach in to identify it; you never need to touch a snake to deal with it
- Don't assume harmless means tame — every snake bluffs when cornered, so give space instead of a hand
- If you're not sure what it is, treat it like the copperhead: back away and let it leave
You don't have to love them to let them pass 🐍
