Homegrown Tomatoes

I have seen two snakes so far this year in my garden. Both are non-poisonous species.

I saw a Rough Earth Snake (Virginia striatula) also called a Houston Garden Snake today and got a picture of it. This one is about 10" long and eats worms.




When I was digging up the beds a few weeks ago, I unearthed a baby Black Rat Snake. I didn't get a shot of it but here's a picture I found of an adult. As the name implies, these guys eat mice, rats, toads, frogs, birds, etc. We had some trouble with one of these in Alabama with some baby chicks but that is another story. I have seen a big one in my garden before and I think he was after the toads. These get to be 4-5 feet in length and can scare you "real good".



Last year I had an Eastern Hog Nosed snake in one of the flower beds. It is also non-poisonous but it hisses loudly ancd thrashes its tail to intimidate any onlookers. When I touched it with a rake, it rolled over and played dead. It was definitely after the toads.




I don't mind these guys too much but living in Texas has made me wary of snakes. I have seen Water Moccasins, (Cottonmouth) and Copperheads here on the Gulf Coast and Western Diamondback Rattlers in South and West Texas. I guess it comes with the territory.