Trixology
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: elagache on July 11, 2016, 11:33:29 PM
-
Dear WeatherCat USofA citizens,
;) . . Yes I know that the general election isn't until November, but this afternoon look at what was slithering on our driveway! . . ;D
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Wild-Flowers/Scenes-of-summer-2016/i-fKMTkms/0/XL/Gopher%20snake%20on%20the%20driveway%20-XL.jpg) (https://canebas.smugmug.com/Nature/Wild-Flowers/Scenes-of-summer-2016/i-fKMTkms/A)
Seriously, this is an example of a gopher snake (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituophis_catenifer). Supposedly they are doing fine in the area, but I haven't see one in many years. I'm guessing that the drought reduced the rodent population and the snakes were limited to the locations where rodents were still able to survive. As the name implies one of the things they eat is gophers and I'm now very aggressive at getting rid of those beasts, so they don't have much of a reason to be in our yard. However, since we got a lot more rain than in previous years, the rats may have increased and perhaps the snakes are moving in for the feast.
Cheers, Edouard [cheers1]
P.S. ;) . . . Yes I know, I really should have photographed this snake in the grass, but with the severity of the continuing drought, grass is very hard to come by. . . . [biggrin]
P.P.S. [wink] . . . It is no trivial measure of the incompetence of California politicians that they are so inept that they cannot even manage to secure enough water so that there is some grass for them to slither through! . . . . [lol2]