SUN-TIMES (Heber Springs, Arkansas) 18 July 07 Cadre of copperheads (Randy Kemp)
I did not think much about it when I spotted the first copperhead in the yard two weeks ago. After all, this is summer in Arkansas. I have a rocky, wooded hillside behind my house, running down to a small creek, so it’s not like I am in a subdivision. I usually see two or three during the course of a summer.
But now the total is up to six. In two weeks. In my front yard. Twelve to15 feet from my front door.
I’m not sure what is going on, but I am beginning to get really curious. At first I just thought their appearance in the same spot in a short span coincidence. But now I am not sure.
I remember reading with fascination about a rural Marion County resident who had such a concentration of copperheads on his property in 2005 and 2006. Chuck Miller, who lives between Flippin and Yellville, noticed that each evening in early July, about 40 copperheads were gathering under a particular cedar tree near his house, hanging out for an hour or two, then dispersing in different directions.
At least two Arkansas herpetologists have been looking into it. And while I have not seen any more news stories on that phenomenon this year, one of those herpetologists, who happens to be a friend of mine, said Tuesday he is still involved in a research project on the Yellville copperhead confab. “As of yet we still don’t know what is going on there,” said Dr. Mike Plummer, a biology prof at Harding University who has a longstanding fascination for reptiles.
Until Tuesday, I had forgotten that Miller’s copperheads were all congregating under a particular cedar tree. That is particularly interesting because the ones I have observed have been not in my rock garden, as you might think, but right under a medium-sized cedar tree adjacent to the rock garden.
The herpetologists identified Miller’s copperheads as males. The nightly gatherings were absent females and juveniles. Personally, I do not know the sex of those in my yard, and I shudder to think about how one would check their maleness or lack thereof.
It’s a fascinating scenario any way you think about it. The newspaper articles didn’t say whether Miller’s copperheads were playing poker, watching sports, or conducting any secret rituals.
I have only seen one of the pit vipers at a time - no congregations. But were they on their way to a group meeting when I waylaid them? Was the group meeting under the rocks, and they had a lone one posted as a lookout?
I am not particularly worried, as copperheads are reclusive and fairly docile, and their bite is non-fatal (for an adult person, anyway) - more like a monster bee sting that takes a couple or three days to recover from. But I confess I have been separating their heads from their bodies with a little shovel I now keep close to the front door. Just to be on the safe side. For the record, I wouldn’t kill any non-poisonous snake, even in the front yard; and I would let even a copperhead keep his head in the woods. Snakes, including the pit vipers, do have some positive qualities, let’s not forget!
“There's no reason to kill them if children are not involved,” even though they are in my front yard, Dr. Plummer told me Tuesday. “The venom is very weak. You don't want to get bit because it will hurt! But they are incapable of threatening an adult life.”
And in fact, it is illegal in Arkansas to kill a snake in the wild; it is only permitted in the case of a real threat.
My biggest concern now is that, according to the Arkansas Snake Guide produced by Arkansas Game and Fish, copperhead babies are born in August and September, up to 14 per female. Is my rock garden going to be teeming with copperhead babies in a couple of months? Or are mine, like Miller’s, all males, in which case I don’t have to worry about swarms of toothy toddlers?
I might add that, since spotting the first two, I am now going out looking for them a couple of times each night. They are easily spotted, due to their bright colors and patterns, and I don’t find myself worried. My biggest scare during this whole adventure came Monday night. I was carefully scanning the ground and adjacent rocks when I suddenly found myself face to face with a very nervous-acting skunk. Now that was scary!
Cadre of copperheads

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