Justan Ohlphart wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 5/13/2020 1:36 PM, wrote: On Wed, 13 May 2020
10:32:23 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On
5/13/2020 12:13 AM, wrote: On
Tue, 12 May 2020 16:25:19 -0400, John
wrote: ...can be a bit dangerous!
https://www.liveabout.com/the-giant-florida-rattlesnake-3299773
-- === There are a lot of opportunities here to become part
of the food chain. Not nearly as big as the one in John's
link but Mrs.E. came home to our house in Jupiter, FL one day to find
a 4 foot diamond backed rattle snake coiled up in the entrance to our
house. It's the reason I bought a shotgun. Also had those
"pygmy" rattle snakes usually as nests in brush and construction
debris. You need more black snakes. They tend to run the rattlesnakes
off. A black snake will eat a rattlesnake.
http://gfretwell.com/wildlife/Blacksnake2.jpg That's OK. You can keep
all your rattlesnakes, black snakes,fire ants and wild boar down there.
:-)We have rattlesnakes up here but they are very rarely seen. The"Blue
Hills Reservation" here used to be infested with them.-- This email has
been checked for viruses by AVG.https://www.avg.com

Probably still is. I have never seen a live rattler in the wild in
florida. I think i might have seen a flat pigmy on the road the
other day judging by its shape. There's some pretty big black
snakes around here. I measured one shed skin at 4 feet. They
don't bother me much as long as there is some distance between
us.

We have some around here. California is home to several varieties.
Prettiest one I saw was a Pacific
Coast rattler, pink in color, when I was a kid and buddies and I were in
one of the big parks catching a garter snake for Audubon days in school.
Mostly we have garter and gopher snakes locally. Had a garter snake
living in the yard last year, but have not seen it for a long while. But
the Blue Belly lizards are thick this year. Must have been a huge hatch
as we lots of little ones all,over the neighborhood. Local hospital gets
about 9 rattlesnake bites a year. Almost all consist of alcohol and young
people trying to do a Clint Eastwood in two mules for sister Sara and out
in the hills.