FREE LANCE-STAR (Fredericksburg, VA) 16 August 03 Snake in the grass: If it slithers, beware (Sarah A. Ferrell)
Copperheads. I despise them. My mother forbade me to hate any living creature. But my mother did not witness my bearded collie Vivien's face, neck and chest swollen to grotesque and painful proportions after she tangled with a copperhead.
I have undertaken a scorched-earth copperhead-eradication rampage here in the woods of Spotsylvania County.
Where there used to be three lovely, if overgrown, rock-garden flower beds, there are now a few ornamental trees surrounded by bare brown dirt. Over 20 wheelbarrows full of gray river stones have been hauled off our property. Snake habitat begone.
Bird feeders have been given away. The deck is shining and bare.
One friend brought her "grasshog" weed whacker and cleaned every blade of grass taller than 3 inches from my flower beds and walkways. Another pal arrived with a hoe and conducted a copperhead hunt. An onlooker chastised her, saying "you should never kill a snake." The snake huntress growled back, "When the snakes can carry a hoe and come after me, and not these dogs, I'll lay down my hoe."
A neighbor kindly taught me to ride the riding lawn mower. Evenings, after sundown, I circle the flower beds and house foundation, with the blade low, rumbling and rattling. The mental conversation I am muttering about the snakes is not fit for newsprint or for a lady to speak aloud. Copperheads. Vivien's mother is on an eviction rampage.
I am not alone in my dismay that copperheads will bite a curious canine or feline muzzle. Many dog moms and dog dads have told me their snake-woe experiences. A few calmer voices have spoken up in support of the good snakes who are not poisonous and who will aid us in our copperhead wars. Here are a few local snake tales.
"One morning I went to check the pool equipment before a swim. Our dachshund, Skippy, ventured into the pool house and came out barking. He had two puncture wounds in his nose. A copperhead was in the pool house. Off we went to our veterinarian.
"The very next day, Skippy was barking in the flower bed. Another copperhead. The third day, Skippy was going wild at the pool, running around the perimeter. Two more copperheads. Skippy was always aware of his turf."--Deborah Collins
"My husband and I were walking our two beagles, on leash, down our gravel road. We live in Spotsylvania County in the woods. Daisy put her muzzle into a clump of shrubs at the edge of the road. She immediately jumped a foot into the air. We assumed that something had spooked her. Less than two minutes later, she lay down in the road and wilted. She had blood on her muzzle.
"By the time we got to the vet, Daisy was going into shock. The veterinarian administered fluids, steroids and antibiotics. She was grotesquely swollen on her muzzle and neck. Our veterinarian confirmed a copperhead bite. We are just so thankful that we saw the bite happen and were able to rush her to the vet."--Peggy Carlson
"We had a litter of pointer pups viciously attacked by a copperhead. The snake bit the curious pups over and over. Only one pup survived. The puppies' mother did not get bitten. It was a horrible experience."--Pat Johnson
"I grew up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina where copperheads and the occasional rattler were a real problem. We always encouraged both black snakes and especially king snakes around all farm buildings. Both will feed on small snakes, and kings are evidently especially fond of copperheads, so the two do not normally cohabit.
"My father would have fired any farmworker who killed either a black or king snake. The black snakes were amazingly effective at handling rodents in the grain barn and corn crib. Once, a family of flying squirrels homesteaded in our house--it was built in 1868 and had no insulation, so, come dark, the walls were interstates for the flying squirrels. It was a black snake that moved from the corn crib and through a scuttle in the roof of my bedroom closet into the attic that convinced the flying squirrels to leave.
"I doubt that the black snake was ever hungry enough to eat a squirrel, but the two species were not happy cohabiting. The snake did finally cause a bit of excitement when one day, while my mother was going upstairs, she met it coming down. She swept it the rest of the way down the stairs and out the front door and that was that."--Tony Wrenn ("In A Virginia Garden" columnist)
"We have not had any personal experiences with copperheads in the 20 years we have lived here in the woods. We have a lot of black snakes; the good kind of snake to have. Black snakes eat copperhead young, so maybe that is why we have not had a copperhead problem. Remember, never kill a black snake!
"My Rottweiler, Kora, did get tweaked on the nose by a black snake that was determined to hunt baby birds nesting in the eaves of our garage. Kora the Rottie went up to the fence to sniff the snake. The snake came through the fence after Kora's inquiring nose, just as if it were saying, "Bug off, this is my territory'!"--Marge Brandel
Summer is a perfect time to clean up around your house and yard. You will make the property less attractive to poisonous snakes you do not want to welcome.
John E. Howe, Virginia Cooperative Extension agent in Spotsylvania County says, "As a general rule snakes live in areas where they can find food and shelter. If food and shelter are scarce, snakes will not find an attractive area to live in.
Howe offered this advice to limit snakes in and around your home:
Mow your yard regularly. Most of the grass varieties grown in this region should be mowed to a height of 2 to 3 inches.
Copperheads feed on mice, rats, birds, amphibians and lizards. Eliminating areas where these prey animals may live and have shelter will limit food resources for snakes and discourage snakes from living in that area.
Keep the yard and grounds free of brush piles, firewood stacks, lumber, junk, and thickets and other areas that provide hiding spots for snakes.
Birdseed and pet foods attract animals that copperheads and other snakes feed on. By eliminating pet food and birdseed, fewer prey species will be attracted to the grounds. Snakes will find fewer reasons to visit your property.
Vivien remains on the hunt for snakes, skinks and anything that goes swish in the grass. I am the one in charge of protecting her from her own curiosity. You can bet she will not be out of my sight as she prances and piddles in her fenced yard. She is not the only one here who is on the relentless hunt for anything poisonous that slithers.
Snake in the grass: If it slithers, beware