Let's talk snakes: The Copperhead Edition

It's time to have THE TALK again!  The everysnakeisnotacopperhead talk. The don’tgoaroundkillingsnakes talk. The snakesarebeneficialtotheenvironment talk.

I saw a report recently from a local news station, talking about snakes being seen more frequently and that we have six venomous species in North Carolina.

My experience has been that it doesn't take a lot to send folks off the deep end when it comes to snakes, and a lot of beneficial snakes end up being killed as a result.

So let's talk snakes!

If you want a really good resource, buy a copy of Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 4th edition. I found used copies on Amazon for around $11 and new ones for about $13.  This science-based book tells how to identify snakes, provides pictures, and has range maps showing where different species are found.

Did you know NC is home to about 40 species of snakes?  That's a lot!  The information that people really want to know about is how many are venomous (poisonous is not the correct term to use).  The answer to that is six.  How many of those are in this area?  Only one.  Yep, the copperhead is the only venomous snake we have here.

So let's talk about copperheads.  If you know what they look like, some of their habits and how to avoid being bitten you don't have to be so afraid of them.  And we'll look at what you can do if you have a snake of any kind in your yard.

According to the book, copperheads are the most common venomous snake in most parts of our state. I spotted one on a sandbar in the creek on the greenway just last Sunday, and I've seen several over the years on my weekly walk.

“Copperheads are in the pit viper family, with a heat-sensing pit located between and slightly lower than the eyes and the nostrils.  This helps them locate warm-blooded animals as they are hunting for food. 
”

Identifying copperheads

What do they look like?  At maturity they are around three feet in length. According to Grover Barfield, Director of Carolinas Reptile Rescue and Education Center, baby copperheads can be a grayer shade of brown color when born and juveniles have a pale yellow to bright yellow to lime green tail, which they wiggle to attract prey.  The tail stays that color for around a year.  Copperheads usually have a Hershey kiss, or hourglass, pattern from the neck to near the end of the tail.  Like many animals there can be a variation in coloring and patterns.  The head is somewhat triangular and the eyes usually have a vertical pupil, but in low light conditions at night they can be more round.  You probably don't want to get close enough to see that, but it's easy to see with binoculars.  By the way, Barfield says that a Google search of copperhead photos does not provide reliable information for our area.  Instead he recommends the Peterson’s Field Guide discussed above.

Copperheads are in the pit viper family, with a heat-sensing pit located between and slightly lower than the eyes and the nostrils.  This helps them locate warm-blooded animals as they are hunting for food.  They will eat mice, insects, frogs and small birds.  One of their favorite insects are emerging cicadas, they can and will climb trees and shrubs to capture and eat them. 

 Don't want copperheads in your yard?  Eliminate potential habitat, like wood piles and other places to hide, and keep the grass cut short so that you can see them.  Be extra careful when you start moving pieces of wood around.  Copperheads, and lots of other snakes, will vibrate their tail against an object as a warning.  They also release a musk that Barfield describes as smelling something like a male cat sprays to mark his turf.  Some resources describe it as a cucumber smell.  

It's not unusual to see these snakes basking on rocks or pavement, absorbing the warmth.  They can be seeing during the day or at night.   According to Barfield, their habitat is "being destroyed at an exponential rate," so it's no wonder that we see them.

According to Greg Stringer, a NC Damage Control agent and local volunteer who relocates snakes, avoid using glue traps and netting.  All kinds of animals are trapped in those materials.  Also, moth balls and Snake Away aren't effective in deterring snakes from coming onto your property.  

Now for some really useful information.  How can you avoid being bitten?

First, if you see a copperhead, leave it alone.  They do not chase people, as I've heard more than once.  More people are bitten trying to kill or move the snake. so simply walk away.  Cornering a snake is never a good idea, as you leave it few options.

Wear gloves when you're gardening and avoid reaching into or under something when you can't see what's there.  Leaf litter provides good camouflage for copperheads, making it very difficult to see them.

Next, don't walk around in your yard barefoot after dusk.  Remember those heat-sensors we talked about earlier?  The snake doesn't differentiate between your foot and a mouse.  It senses heat and strikes.  So put your shoes on and use a flashlight! 

What happens if you are bitten?

Adult snakes may elect to release the entire venom load, or inject a partial load, or deliver a dry bite which releases no venom.  You may have heard that the venom of juveniles is more potent, but that is not true.  Juveniles can control the amount venom injected just as adults do.   However, they have smaller venom glands and therefore don’t have the same amount of venom as adults.

Don't buy into those old legends that say to cut the area and suck out the venom - not true and not helpful!  Also, don't use a tourniquet or ice; these can cause a lot of damage.  Just head for the hospital.  While copperhead bites are painful, there are very few deaths resulting from them on an annual basis, and those result from pre-existing health conditions. Animals which are bitten require immediate veterinary treatment

When you see a copperhead, what do you do?

And now for the last bit of information that I bet you're going to find very useful.  Let's say you spot a copperhead (which you can now reliably identify). What are your options?

• You can do nothing. Trying to capture or kill a venomous snake puts you at risk.  Simply move away.

• You can squirt them with a strong stream of water from a safe distance.

If you have children and animals you may not love those ideas.  There are people you can call who will come and relocate the snake for you.  That includes both venomous and nonvenomous snakes, both of which have a place in the environment. Here are a couple:

• Greg Stringer (336-212-1673) - Greg volunteers his services.  He asks instead that you make a donation in his name to Carolina Waterfowl Rescue (cwrescue.org).

• Jay Bell - Jay is a former Animal Control officer who has an educational business called Reptiles 101.  He charges $25 for calls in Union County and $40 for surrounding counties.  He can be reached at 704-906-7524 or you can message him on Facebook at Reptiles 101.

Want more resources on snakes?  Here are some good ones: Name That Snake, Herps of NC, Carolina Herp Atlas, and NC Snake Identification & Education Group on Facebook.

This concludes my sometimes annual article on snakes.  I hope you found it educational and useful. Maybe, just maybe, someone is now interested in snakes! At least I hope you are no longer suffering from acute ophidiophobia, or fear of snakes.

Photos provided by Grover Barfield: adult, juvenile with tail color, adult in leaf litter

The Hummers Are Here!

“  Everybody loves these ruby-throated hummingbirds, which are nicknamed “flying jewels.””

Photo by Debbie LeBlanc Foster

Few birds get quite as much notice when they migrate back into our area as the ruby-throated hummingbirds.  Everybody loves these little guys, which are nicknamed "flying jewels."

Right now we're seeing the early migrants coming through, but it shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks until our regulars come back.  The males come first, followed by the ladies shortly after.

How can you attract these tiny birds to your yard?  

There are two things you can do - hang feeders and plant native plants.

Let's start with the feeders.

If you already have a feeder, give it a good scrub (get those ports clean!), rinse well, and let it dry in the sun.  You can either purchase liquid nectar, a powder that you mix with water, or make your own with four parts water to one part sugar.  Refrigerate the unused portion.  A quick search recommended using the refrigerated nectar within 7-14 days.

Photo by Debbie LeBlanc Foster

There are three critical pieces of information about using feeders.  First, you have to keep them clean.  This means frequent scrubbing in hot weather.  Next, please DO NOT use red dye.  It's harmful to the hummers and totally unnecessary.  The feeders themselves are red, which will attract the birds.  Finally, nectar has to be kept fresh.  That means changing it out every couple of days during our hot weather.  The bottom line is, if you can't commit to these three requirements then a feeder isn't the best choice for you.

The next way to attract hummingbirds is native plants.  The bonus here is you get bright, beautiful plants and the birds - win, win!

In my yard the three most popular plants are our native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), bee balm (Monarda didyma) and our native scarlet hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus).

The honeysuckle is a vine that pretty much stays covered in blooms.  I've seen mine bloom year-round.  Right now It's got about 50 blossoms.  I'm including a picture so you can appreciate how beautiful this plant is, and how it looks nothing like that pesky invasive Japanese honeysuckle.

I  was surprised the first time I saw hummers on the bee balm.  But they did it so consistently that I've been able to get some fabulous pictures of them.

“The blooms are big enough to be used as a lawn chair for the birds!”

Photo by Debbie LeBlanc Foster

The final plant is our native hibiscus, not the kind you see for sale in the big box stores.  This spectacular plant grows on canes and produces dinner-plate sized vibrant red blooms.  At the end of the season there are seed pods that you can share with friends, or you can just dig up a cane. As you can see from the picture, the blooms are big enough to be used as a lawn chair for the birds!

Now that we have the time to hang out in our yards we can really appreciate Mother Nature as she morphs from winter to spring.  Go outside and watch for the hummers!

Leave the Leaves!

Save your weekends! Protect your back! Support our wildlife and environment!

Photo by Debbie LeBlanc Foster

With temperatures still hitting 90 in October, it seems like fall was a long time coming this year, but looking around town, we finally have some beautiful fall color. That means that fallen leaves will be right around the corner.

How about a plan to save your weekends, protect your back, save some cash, and support our wildlife and environment, all at the same time?

Raking is hard on the back and time-consuming. Leaving the leaves on the ground provides fertilizer for trees and shrubs, so no need to go buy fertilizer. That gives you time for dinner and a movie, with no trip to the chiropractor needed.

Many kinds of wildlife depend on leaf litter. Eastern towhees, brown thrashers, and white-throated sparrows scratch around in the litter looking for tasty worms and bugs, which make their homes in the decomposing leaves.

“Butterflies and moths may over-winter as pupae and caterpillars. Eastern box turtles, worms, salamanders, toads, toads and even chipmunks use leaves for food and shelter.”

Look carefully, and you may find other critters in those leaves. Butterflies and moths may overwinter as pupae and caterpillars. Eastern box turtles, worms, salamanders, toads, toads, and even chipmunks use leaves for food and shelter.

Brace yourself for a startling statistic. In 2015 the Environmental Protection Agency reported that yard debris comprised almost 35 million tons of material, representing 13% all waste. A large percentage of this went to municipal recycling, while the rest went to landfills. Is this a problem?

Yes, it is. Decomposing yard waste releases methane gas into the atmosphere. Our landfills are reaching capacity, and leaf material just doesn't belong there. Rake it under and around trees and shrubs, run over it with a mulching mower or use it in a compost bin. Here's a link with great information on different types of composting.

So when spring arrives next year, you can pat yourself on the back for giving Mother Nature a helping hand - and all of her little creatures, too! Just leave the leaves!

Creature Feature: OH! Opossums (They’re the Rodent You Love to Hate)

“An Opossum hath an head like a Swine, and a taile like a Rat, and is the bigness of a Cat. Under her belly she hath a bagge, wherein shee lodgeth, carrieth and sucketh her young”

— Captain John Smith

Via Unsplash

Yes, they’re ugly and they hiss like cats and dash out in the middle of the road and made you almost swerve into a tree that one time because they decided to play dead. We’ve all got that story.

But really, you have it all wrong. For one thing, they’re good to have around. Honestly. You’ll see why in a minute. And they’re opossums, not possums. Possums are a completely different animal that live down under. Opossums aren’t even rodents. They’re marsupials. 

There are actually several dozen different species of opposums, but the one we are used to seeing is the Virginia opossum, or common opossum. They were dubbed “opossum” by Captain John Smith of Jamestown Colony, Virginia, from the Algonquin name “apasum”, which means “white animal”. Captain Smith wrote that “An Opossum hath an head like a Swine, and a taile like a Rat, and is the bigness of a Cat. Under her belly she hath a bagge, wherein shee lodgeth, carrieth and sucketh her young".

Opossums are originally from South America, but they migrated north about 3 million years ago during the Great American Interchange when previously isolated North and South American species migrated across the newly formed Isthmus of Panama. Genetic research suggests that all of today’s living marsupials actually originated in South America--the opposum is just the only marsupial one to have thrived in the United States and Canada.

Via Wikipedia

In case you’ve forgotten your middle school life science lessons, Google’s dictionary says a marsupial is “a mammal of an order whose members are born incompletely developed and are typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother's belly.” So opossums are one of the animals who carry around their babies in a pouch like kangaroos. Baby opossums are born after a mere 11-13 day gestational period. Mothers give birth to as many as 20 babies at one time that are so small, all 20 of them could fit into a teaspoon! Fewer than half of them typically survive, many never even reaching the pouch. As the babies get older, they start to move in and out of their mother’s pouch and will often ride on her back as she hunts.

Let’s talk about that playing dead thing real fast, before we get into why opossums are so great, since that’s the one thing everyone “knows” about them. “Playing possum” is actually an involuntary defense mechanism on the part of the opossum. When it becomes extremely afraid, it enters a catatonic state, making it appear dead, and less appealing for predators. But opossums actually have no control over when it happens.

Okay. So why do we like opposums? Besides the fact that they’ve been around since the dinosaurs, have a prehensile tail that they can use to wrap around tree limbs (though it is a misconception that they hang upside down), and have more teeth than any other North American land mammal--50 to be exact. 

If you’re still not swayed, here are the reasons why opossums really are good guys. First, they’re little tick vacuums. They eat the ticks that try to feed on them and they eat the ticks that try to feed on us. One opossum can eat as many as 5,000 ticks each season. And ticks aren’t the only pest opossums take care of for us. They eat cockroaches, snails, rats, mice, dead animals, over-ripe fruit, and snakes (including venomous ones like copperheads and rattlers). They’re pretty much Mother Nature’s yard exterminator.

Via Wikipedia

“But what about rabies”, you ask? “I saw one foaming at the mouth--it was clearly sick”. Any mammal can get rabies. However, it’s extremely rare for an opossum to contract rabies. It is believed that their lower body temperatures, between 94 and 97 degrees, makes it difficult for the virus to survive. While it is possible to contract other diseases from an opossum, as long as you do not attempt to pet or get too close to an opossum (or any wild animal for that matter), and you do not handle any dead opossums directly, your likelihood of contracting a disease is extremely slim. (Oh, and the foaming at the mouth thing? That’s another of the opossum’s natural defense mechanisms. By excreting excess saliva, other animals think it is sick and will leave it alone). 

And if all of that is not enough to convince you, how about the fact that their blood contains a peptide that can neutralize snake venom? With further research, their blood might help scientists develop a universal anti-venom, saving lives all over the world.

If that doesn’t change your opinion of opossums from despised, rodent, road-kill to beloved, potential super-hero, yard exterminator, I don’t know what will. 

Creating a Wildlife Habitat, Part V: Sustainable Practices and Certification

Image courtesy National Wildlife Federation

Hope you've enjoyed this series on how to create wildlife habitats in your yard, school, place of worship and business.

Let's add one more requirement - sustainable gardening practices. This means being aware of what you're using and under what conditions. Some people will choose to go the all organic route, while others may have a problem that may need to be addressed strategically with a chemical.

Choose the most environmentally-friendly tool for the job and follow directions carefully. Avoid spraying on a windy day because you might contaminate your food and water sources.

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Now we’ve covered the essentials.

Food, water, cover, places to raise young, sustainable gardening practices? Check!

There's just one thing left to discuss: how to certify your wildlife habitat; it's incredibly easy. Visit the National Wildlife Federation Certify page and fill out the simple application form. There is a one-time fee of $20 which goes to National Wildlife Federation. You'll receive a personalized certificate with a number for your site, a subscription to the Garden for Wildlife e-newsletter, a one-year membership to NWF, a subscription to National Wildlife magazine, 10% off NWF catalog merchandise (great for items for your yard and gifts for nature lovers), and an option to purchase a sign designating your yard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat with National Wildlife Federation.

Speaking of the signs, I highly recommend purchasing one. It's a great way to help educate your neighbors, clients, and anyone else who happens to pass by on how easy it is to provide habitat for wildlife. Prices range from $30 to $99. Check out the joint NC Wildlife Federation and National Wildlife Federation sign below with Ranger Rick! I also added a picture of the higher-end sign.

Here's hoping that I see lots more of these signs sprouting up all over Matthews as more people jump on board!

Image courtesy National Wildlife Federation

“Signs are a great way to help educate your neighbors, clients, and anyone else who happens to pass by on how easy it is to provide habitat for wildlife. ”

Creating a Wildlife Habitat, Part IV: Safe Places

Image courtesy Unsplash

In recent weeks we’ve discussed how to provide food and water. In this article we’ll look at providing cover and places to raise young.

Just as with food and water, these elements can be natural or man-made.

Cover gives an animal a place to escape predators. Trees, shrubs, rock piles and brush piles are great examples of places to dart into cover. Think about proving cover at different levels, from the ground up. Using native plants can give you cover as well as food, so you get a double benefit. They can also provide nesting sites for those animals who use trees and shrubs.

Man-made cover and places to raise young are the many boxes available. Examples include houses for bats, owls, birds and bees, just to name a few. Do your research to find out how to provide appropriate housing for whatever you’re trying to attract. Bat houses have to be at a certain height and face a certain direction. Particular species of birds require boxes of a certain size and the hole must be a specific diameter. Birds generally prefer to have cover behind (but not touching) the box, with open area to the front. You can even make a toad abode by turning a terra cotta flower pot on its side so that the toads have easy access to a cool place.

A common design for a bat house

In short, think like the wildlife you’re trying to attract. Location and protection is very important to wildlife.

Next time you’ll find out how to certify your wildlife habitat and how you can order a sign.

Creating a Wildlife Habitat: Part I

Every wildlife habitat requires the same things: food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices.

A lot of ground has been lost, literally and figuratively, on the environmental front recently. Rather than throwing your hands up in despair how about asking what we as individuals can do. Small acts can make a difference.

We’re going to explore how to create wildlife habitats in several columns. Today we’ll look at the requirements for wildlife habitats and places to create habitats. 

Every wildlife habitat requires the same things: food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices. These requirements can be naturally occurring, such as a pond or berry-bearing plant, or you can provide them in the form of a bird bath or feeder. Over the next few columns, we’ll look at how easy it is to provide each of the required elements.

The best, and easiest, place to start is your own home. Size isn’t an obstacle. You can create a habitat at an apartment with a balcony or patio, a farm with acreage, or anything in between.

You can also create a wildlife habitat at a daycare, nursery school, as well as elementary, middle and high schools, and on college campuses. Obtaining permission from the school and/or county authorities is a starting point. Creating a budget is next, along with establishing a committee to create and care for the habitat long-term. Matthews has many examples of wildlife habitats at schools. Ask if your school is a habitat and if they need your help!

Businesses can also be habitats and can get good PR for taking this step. We have veterinarians to investment companies certified! Places of worship are logical places to care for flora and fauna. This is an excellent project for children of all ages. We have several places of worship that are wildlife habitats, and there’s always room for more.

Finally, public areas such as parks make fabulous habitats and provide education for all who use them with the addition of signage. Squirrel Lake Park is a great example, with large educational signs and small signs with QR codes for plant identification. Check out the bird feeder system that was created and is maintained by Habitat and Wildlife Keepers (HAWK), a local chapter of North Carolina Wildlife Federation.

Matthews is the 64th Community Wildlife Habitat certified by National Wildlife Federation. HAWK (Habitat and Wildlife Keepers, a local chapter of NC Wildlife Federation) created Matthews Naturally, a community-wide program which certified the Town as a wildlife habitat, and is responsible for recertifying every year. You can be part of Matthews Naturally by certifying your home, a school, place of worship or business.

Building habitats for wildlife is one small thing that makes a big difference, especially if we work together.

SNAKESSSSSSSSS!

Just the word elicits a visceral response in lots of people! It’s a timely topic right now since it’s baby season for copperheads, sometime in late summer to fall.

Photo by Virginia Herpetological Society

Let’s look at how to identify copperheads, how they give birth, how to protect yourself from a bite, and address some myths surround the most common venomous snake in our area.

Copperheads are usually two to three feet in length, although they can be longer.  They have a stocky body that tapers rapidly near the tail  The first thing you want to look for is what’s often described as the “Hershey kiss” pattern.  Coloring can vary a bit, from brown, reddish-brown, to beige.  If you happened to have binoculars or were entirely too close, you could see a vertical pupil, as well as the triangular-shaped head.  The venom glands are stored just behind the eyes, creating the wedge shape.

Photo by Jay Bell, Reptiles 101

Copperheads give live birth to between one and 14 young. Juvenile copperheads have bright yellowish/green tails for about year, making this another identifying trait. They may use these colored tails to attract prey!

So how do you protect yourself from a bite? Arm yourself with knowledge! Copperheads are pit vipers with a heat-sensing receptor, which allows them to locate their prey. They are primarily nocturnal during the warmer months. Walking around at night in your yard barefoot isn’t a good idea. The snake is simply striking at a heat source. Wear shoes and watch where you step!

Don’t make a habitat for copperheads in your yard, especially near your house! Brush, rock, and wood piles are attractive to these snakes. The high water from Flo could also displace them from their regular hangouts.

Finally, people are more likely to be bitten when they are messing with the snake, especially trying to capture or kill them. Just give the snake a wide berth. If you would like any snake relocated, contact Carolina Waterfowl Rescue. People trained in how to safely handle snakes will pick it up and relocate it.

Let’s look at some of the myths surrounding copperheads. First, they are not by nature aggressive snakes. They don’t chase people down. They weigh less than three-quarters of a pound, so it doesn’t make sense for them to come after a human, or waste their venom load when a predator might come along.

Photo by Jay Bell, Reptiles 101

There are very few human deaths from copperhead bites. Bites are very painful and require medical treatment. Animals, particularly small ones, are at a greater risk.

Another frequently-heard myth is that baby copperheads have more venom, or more deadly venom, than adults Not true. What is true is that an adult might lunge, dry-bite or deliver a small amount of venom. Young snakes haven’t learned to do that yet, so they might inject the full venom load. It takes a while for them to build up the venom, which puts them at increased risk from predators.

I hope this article answers some of your questions, and fears, about copperheads. All animals have a purpose in the eco-system, so please don’t needlessly kill them.