Snakes in the grass

This is the snake after its demise


See if this photo gives you any hints as to which species this snake belongs to

Today Trenton Schneider was over at our house mowing the lawn. As he was using a blower to clear clippings off of the driveway, he noticed a snake and came in to grab me. I went outside and found the snake in the front bushes. At first I thought nothing of it because we had found several garden snakes in the yard in the past. But this one seemed different. The pattern looked somewhat familiar, and as my eyes traced the snake down to its tail, I realized why. We had a rattlesnake in our front yard.

Normally when we have had snakes in the yard, I have tended to be merciful and turn them loose in the greenbelt behind the house. But I had no intentions of letting a poisonous snake free where it could wander back into the yard. So between a shovel and a can of wasp spray I managed to kill the snake. Then the rest of the Schneider clan came back to recover the snake's body so that Ethan Schneider can take it to school. I figure if he wants it he can take it. Teressa was so unnerved that she is reconsidering her decision to postpone getting a dog. We'll be on the lookout for a while to make sure the yard is safe.