Some people are so terrified of snakes, any snakes, that it would be pointless for me to attempt to convince them that some of these reptiles are quite beneficial indeed. I’m thinking of the handsome black snakes that live quietly in and around the Mary Snoddy garden. These shiny black snakes are found across the entire southeastern US. The Latin name is a mouthful so, with apologies to herpetologists, let’s be content with calling them Black Racer, King Snake, Chicken Snake, Black Rat Snake, Coachwhip, Ring Neck Snake, or simply Black Snake. There are differences between these (the Ring Neck wears a yellow-green necklace, for instance) but as a gardener I don’t feel the need to distinguish. And it is a certainty that I am not going to examine the anal plates of any snake I encounter to make an exact determination. They all share an endearing characteristic – they dine on mice, rats, voles, squirrels, frogs, lizards and (best of all!) have an appetite for poisonous snakes like the copperheads that share the same territory. Not so charming is their taste for bird eggs and even small birds. Take the good with the bad.
My husband subscribes to the theory that “the only good snake is a dead snake,” so I was surprised when he summoned me outdoors to look at a pair. Near the base of a damaged black walnut tree, I witnessed something I had never seen before. Two black snakes were wrapped around each other in a slow dance. I confirmed with Google that what I was seeing was mating. Call me a voyeur, but I couldn’t stop watching. Their dance was slow, graceful, and anything but erotic. Thirty minutes later, they disappeared into a previously unnoticed hole at the base of the tree, probably to shower and smoke a post-coitus cigarette. Check out this photo of the two lovers.
A pair of black snakes in their mating dance
According to the University of Michigan, the Black Rat Snake has an average lifespan of 33.9 years. University of North Carolina estimates the average life as a much shorter 23 years. Male Black Rat Snakes reach maturity at seven years, while females mature sexually at nine years. The breeding cycle runs from May through June. As a result of a tryst, Mama Snake will lay between 6 and 24 eggs, which hatch in 37 to 51 days. The emerging babies are about a foot long. For a year or two, the youngsters will stay close to the place they hatched. Adults may reach lengths up to six feet. They shed their external skins as they grow.
Black snakes are found in all types of terrain, from forests to swamps. They are most active during daytime. When they sense a predator, they tend to kink tightly in an attempt to mimic a non-edible stick. This behavior inspired the old-timer’s expression that something was “as crooked as a black snake,” They are not aggressive and escape from humans when given the chance. When trapped or feeling threatened, they release an offensive stink and may rattle the tips of their tails. They only strike when feeling seriously endangered.
The rapid movement of the forked tongue that some people find creepy is the snake’s method of “smelling” their surroundings. Colloquial advice abounds concerning smells that repel snakes, from human urine to mothballs. There are products designed to repel, but these are toxic to pets and are best avoided. The best way to keep snakes from your home is to block entry points and to remove food sources (pet food) that attract rodents. (Snake repellents don’t have the same fun names as deer repellents. My favorite deer repellents are Not Tonight Deer, Liquid Fence and Hinder.) Farmers welcome Black Snakes for their rodent-eating benefits.
A dear friend of mine would sing loudly when picking blackberries in an attempt to alert snakes to her presence and scare them away. Her song had a charming refrain, (“Go Away Snake, Snake Go Away”) but did little to ensure a non-encounter. Black snakes don’t have external ears. Instead they hear by sensing vibrations with an efficient inner ear. She would have been more successful by imitating the heavy footfalls of Big Foot.
Snakes are cold-blooded reptiles. They can raise their temperature by basking in the sun and lower it by hanging out in the shade. They hibernate in winter and may gather in numbers up to sixty to share warmth. Their mouths have a unique unhinged jaw structure that enables them to eat prey up to three times their apparent mouth size. They eat only when hungry. During warm weather, a snake may eat every three days or as little as once per month. Inactive snakes, such as those in zoo captivity, may only eat a couple of times a year.
Any snake raised in the wild will bite if it is grabbed. The result is similar to a bee sting in pain. Aquarium-raised snakes are more accustomed to handling by humans and are more docile. If you find a snake sunning on your concrete drive or some other undesired location, try using a boom to shoo it away. Teach children to leave snakes alone or at least to admire them from a distance.
This black snake is attempting to look like a stick, to avoid an encounter with an interested gardener (me).