STAND STILL!!!
By cate
13 comments
Greg gave me a fright in the garden today by suddenly yelling at me to STAND STILL DO NOT MOVE KEEP ABSOLUTELY STILL!!!
Of course I did and as he was staring at my feet I guessed rightly that there was a snake very close to me – just it’s head was poking out right next to my foot
But it was minute! About eight inches long and looking very much like a baby brown snake (brown snakes are extremely venomous – even the babies) It was somewhat alarmed so I waited until it calmed down and started to move off and took an Olympian leap backward myself
We fetched a big glass jar and as I don’t have very good vision – Greg had the task of persuading it in – as soon as we had a proper look at him we realised he was in fact a harmless Keelback – As several neighbours have young children so I’M PROFOUNDLY relieved – brown snakes hatch at this time of year in clutches of up to 30!!! so we would have to have taken most of the garden apart to make sure there weren’t anymore
Keepbacks however are harmless and very rare in this area – so he is now recorded on the National Parks snake atlas for this area and we have released him into a local wildlife reserve – would have loved to put him back in the garden but with four cats he wouldn’t last very long
It might seem a big fuss to make over such a tiny thing but we are thrilled that yet another form of fauna likes the wild garden we have planted – the care we have taken to allow the eco-system to develop in its own way has been so worth while – planting local natives, providing plenty of water and not using toxins has grown us a piece of paradise and not just for us!
4 May, 2011
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Comments
wow,so pleased its harmless,and you must be so proud of your garden
4 May, 2011
Cute, but no thank you!
4 May, 2011
thrilled with you and keep fingers xxed the browns wont arrive in your slice of paradise..
would they be likely to in an urban environment?
4 May, 2011
Well Done!
4 May, 2011
Phew!---pleased it was harmless!
4 May, 2011
I think I would have stood still as well. visting florida most years, we always some how manageto have snake run-ins, my OH hatesthem and always runs a mile.
This little chappie must like your wildlife area.
4 May, 2011
So pleased it was harmless and no need to strip your garden, if I`d been shouted at like that I`d have panicked and probably trodden on the poor thing....
4 May, 2011
thank you all for your comments - didn't think until after posting that not everyone is ok about snakes - my apologies if it gave anyone the creeps!!
Ladybug - we are proud of our garden although having said that ... basically the garden does it all it's self really - we've just planted the right things I think and then let it get on with it - the only contributions we make are winter pruning, some hand weeding - and of course always adding more plants LOL
Resi - brown snakes do pop up in suburbia yes - not very often and mainly when it's very dry and they are looking for water - however although we live in a suburb it is right on the edge of a large area of farmland interspersed with bushland - nearest farm being approx500 meters away - so we are more likely to get 'immigrants' - especially as we have lots of easily aces sable water and plenty of food sources (insects, lizards etc)
Kfunsters - I sympathize with our OH as mine has the same reaction to spiders - I have often heard a loud 'girly' shriek when he comes across a huntsman unexpectedly - but to give him credit - huntsmen spider can get HUGE and scuttle at great speed and like to come inside and hide in places like your bath towel - he was brought up in Rabaul in New Guinea and had some close encounters with the massive bird eating spiders as a child - enough to give anyone a phobia! I've only ever seen one - in my sisters home in north Queensland and wow!! - vast and hairy - lovely colours - moved rather ponderously - but not something I would like to find next to me in bed!!
4 May, 2011
Oh, I'm glad it's not dangerous! That's a great complement that he/she found your garden so hospitable!
4 May, 2011
That's wonderful. Nice to know your garden is wildlife-friendly :) And congratulations on having a rare species living there too !
5 May, 2011
now im creeped out about spiders,my son screams like a girl too nothing to be ashamed about(so i tell him)
5 May, 2011
Sorry but I really don't like snakes, even though some of them are quite beautiful. Glad I don't live where you do.
5 May, 2011
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What an adventure cate. It looks so cute too......not that I would pick it up!!!
4 May, 2011