this one made me JUMP, lol.

007tallguy · Jun 28, 2015

i dodged the raindrops and ran out to my little workshop to get something. as soon as i got in the door, i had that uneasy feeling of being watched. naturally, i'm looking upwards thinking maybe the hornets may have moved in when i wasn't looking, but nope, no sign of any.
still, that feeling persisted. hmmmm.... :?:

oh well, i found the tool i was looking for at the near end of the workbench. something (that feeling again!) told me to look towards the far end of the bench. what do i see? these 2 big evil eyes staring back at me! :shock:

after my initial shock and getting my feet back down on the floor, i look closer and think to myself: my big brother was playing a joke on me, it's got to be a rubber snake. after all, how can something with no legs climb waaay up onto a high workbench, right?
WRONG! it started mocking me, sticking it's tongue out at me, sampling the air to see if i was a target that should be attacked and devoured! :shock:

so i tried reasoning with it, telling it i wouldn't be all that tasty and maybe he should just move on and find something or someone else to tear to pieces, LOL. :lol:

all kidding aside, i know some of you aren't really snake people, i'm not either. but i'm not a mosquito person. given the choice the snake or a thousand bugs, the snake wins! i'll leave it alone and let it eat it's bugs and whatever else it wants to eat.
it stood still long enough for me to take it's pretty picture and then it decided it was time to leave... after it stuck it's tongue out at me once more, lol.

it was just a common garter snake, between 1 1/2 and 2 feet long.... and extremely FAST! :shock:

and by the looks of it, he seems to be eating quite well!

Pete

NectarDetector · Jun 28, 2015

He's actually a Midland Brown snake. Nice lookin one too!

007tallguy · Jun 28, 2015

NectarDetector said:
He's actually a Midland Brown snake. Nice lookin one too!

that sure looks the same! i've never heard of those around here though, always known them to be garter snakes.
either way, i'll let it eat the bugs, lol. at least there's no harmful ones around here. the little grass snakes are quite common, but i honestly haven't seen one in several years.

DashHopes · Jun 28, 2015

He looks quite friendly, and I'm sure he wouldn't eat you... maybe.

007tallguy · Jun 28, 2015

DashHopes said:
He looks quite friendly, and I'm sure he wouldn't eat you... maybe.

haha! we had a staring contest for a minute or two, but i eventually won, lol.
and Nector, i've always known them as garters, but after looking at pics of both, i have to agree with you! garters have the stripes running the full length of their body's. this one would be considered big for a midland, but the description sure fits. i'll have to measure it on the next encounter, i may set a record with it, ha.

ironically, that round brown thing it's sitting on in the pic is indeed a roll-up tape measure, lmao!

T-Man · Jun 28, 2015

I felt kind of bad. I hit one with the mower the other day. Didn't even realize it until I came by on the 2nd pass and saw the body. Had I know it was there I would of let it pass on by.

007tallguy · Jun 28, 2015

T-Man said:
I felt kind of bad. I hit one with the mower the other day. Didn't even realize it until I came by on the 2nd pass and saw the body. Had I know it was there I would of let it pass on by.

i've done that too. nailed 2 grass snakes one day minutes apart and like yourself, i had no way of knowing they were there. usually the noise of the mower is enough to scare them away.

NectarDetector · Jun 28, 2015

007tallguy said:
haha! we had a staring contest for a minute or two, but i eventually won, lol.
and Nector, i've always known them as garters, but after looking at pics of both, i have to agree with you! garters have the stripes running the full length of their body's. this one would be considered big for a midland, but the description sure fits. i'll have to measure it on the next encounter, i may set a record with it, ha. ironically, that round brown thing it's sitting on in the pic is indeed a roll-up tape measure, lmao!

He does seem a little big, maybe he's older, or maybe its a female. :lol:

My kids love to play with those things, especially my 5 yr old daughter haha

GabbityGabby · Jun 29, 2015

It's so cute! <3 :neat:

I love snakes.

007tallguy · Jun 29, 2015

GabbityGabby said:
It's so cute! <3 I love snakes.

lol, what's your mailing address, i'll send it to ya!

i'm not a snake hater nor a lover of them but i do tolerate them, they've done nothing to me so i have no reason to harm it. and they help keep the bugs and small rodents at bay, i consider it to be an ally, lol.
i checked a few local websites and my saying it was a garter snake seems to be correct. to be specific, it's a "Maritime garter snake". but it sure does resemble that Midland snake Nectar mentioned, the only real difference i can see is the size, this one would have been HUGE for a Midland Brown. :yes:

these garters can grow to over 3 feet long. i saw one in the woods years ago that was dang close to 4' long! :shock:

NectarDetector · Jun 29, 2015

007tallguy said:
lol, what's your mailing address, i'll send it to ya!
i'm not a snake hater nor a lover of them but i do tolerate them, they've done nothing to me so i have no reason to harm it. and they help keep the bugs and small rodents at bay, i consider it to be an ally, lol.
i checked a few local websites and my saying it was a garter snake seems to be correct. to be specific, it's a "Maritime garter snake". but it sure does resemble that Midland snake Nectar mentioned, the only real difference i can see is the size, this one would have been HUGE for a Midland Brown.
these garters can grow to over 3 feet long. i saw one in the woods years ago that was dang close to 4' long!

Neat, thanks for the update. I think snakes are cool.

Swing360 · Jul 1, 2015

This is sort of off topic, but not totally.

You can probably look up the old newspapers and confirm this happened in Chimacum, WA.

A school bus ran over a MASSIVE Python (couple hundred pounds) that was stretched across 2 lanes on the main road through the small town. The bus ran it over and killed it, but somehow it and it's brother had gotten out that day. The bus driver said he thought it was a large downed tree (not sure why he was going to drive over it).

Soooo.... There could still be a massive 200 pound snake slithering around these parts

Silversmith45 · Jul 1, 2015

Snakes can climb. On our farm my father was driving a tractor into a shed. A large blacksnake was lying on a rafter above the door. When the hot exhaust hit it, it dropped down across the tractor in front of him. He said he almost made a new back door to the shed.

007tallguy · Jul 2, 2015

Silversmith45 said:
Snakes can climb. On our farm my father was driving a tractor into a shed. A large blacksnake was lying on a rafter above the door. When the hot exhaust hit it, it dropped down across the tractor in front of him. He said he almost made a new back door to the shed.

Haha! Good reason for making sure the window screens are in place and no holes in them! :shock:

Silversmith45 · Jul 3, 2015

You need to worry more about holes where pipes come into the house from underneath. Stuffing steel wool around them can keep snakes and rodents out.

ohiochris · Jul 3, 2015

Yep, snakes are better climbers than they get credit for. Ive seen rattlesnakes in trees believe it or not....not high up in trees but 3 or 4 feet up , one was in the process of swallowing a freshly caught squirrel. I used to play with garter snakes a lot when I was a kid. I still have a scar on my right thumb where a big one ( for a garter snake ) grabbed it and would not let go.

Silversmith45 · Jul 4, 2015

ohiochris said:
Yep, snakes are better climbers than they get credit for. Ive seen rattlesnakes in trees believe it or not....not high up in trees but 3 or 4 feet up , one was in the process of swallowing a freshly caught squirrel. I used to play with garter snakes a lot when I was a kid. I still have a scar on my right thumb where a big one ( for a garter snake ) grabbed it and would not let go.

My Grandfather told me about the time that he and his brother were hunting ducks in a flooded are in the late 1800's. As their rowboat passed under a tree a large rattlesnake dropped into the boat with them. His brother thinking quickly shot it with his shotgun. My Grandfather said that rowing like crazy they almost made it back to dry ground.

achaios · Jul 6, 2015

NectarDetector said:
He's actually a Midland Brown snake. Nice lookin one too!

I didn't think it was a garter snake. I thought that garter snakes had longitudinal lines.

-- Tom

007tallguy · Jul 6, 2015

achaios said:
I didn't think it was a garter snake. I thought that garter snakes had longitudinal lines.

-- Tom

my search for snakes native to this area came up with Maritime Garter snake. these ones get much larger than the Midland browns. :yes:

but that pattern sure does resemble those brown snakes!

gunsil · Jul 7, 2015

Very cute snake!! I found a young milk snake on my garage work bench once, and pulled a 6' black snake from behind my neighbor's stereo. I have found large shedded snake skins in my closets, but have never seen the snakes in my house. Luckily I like snakes and luckily have never found a poisonous one in my garage or house.

this one made me JUMP, lol.

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