Yesterday I leaned over the pond to adjust the water fountain as I always do, lost my footing and in a flash I hit the water creating a pond-sized tsunami that blanketed the flower bed. As I fought to regain my footing in the midst of lily pads, I spotted our resident water snake bolt like a rocket from the pond and quickly escape to safety across the yard. This was a moronic way to solve the snake problem but, hey, I think I scared it enough that it won’t be back.
This harmless 16” snake took up residence about a month ago. Very timid, it always would disappear into rocks when I approached and my glimpses were fleeting. But I saw enough to identify it as an Eastern Garter snake, a common snake in the area that can adapt to a variety of habitats including fish ponds. They mainly eat earthworms but will feed on amphibians and fish. I tried a variety of ways to catch it including nets, flushing it from the rocks with a hose, but it outfoxed me every time… until now.
I was relieved that mister gardener did not witness my humiliating misadventure but as I climbed from the pond, I noticed Big Bullfrog just watching me. Is that a grin on his face?
Ann Hohenberger, The Garden Club of Gloucester
A novel approach to the problem. Must pass this on to Jane Smith who had to resort to all manner of drastic measures to rid her pond of a snake.
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Sarah,
Yes, please pass along the handy snake tip. It works like a ‘charm,’ but you must endure a few aches and pains the next day.
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Coincidentaly you are posting pictures of frogs. I encounted three yesterday. None had a sheepish grin! I am glad the sly snake was too fast to get photograph. A picture is worth a thousand words. I’m looking forward to Wordless Wednesday.
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Our pond was invaded last year by a northern water snake. This gave me quite a turn, as they resemble copperheads in coloration, and I had just been wading around fertilizing water lilies. Paradise corrupted! No luck trying to catch it with a net. Our pond expert recommended that we just wait a few days to see if it moved on. In his experience, they rarely stay more than a few days in artificial ponds. This proved to be the case, although it devastated the fish population before leaving. A garter snake would likely be a more permanent resident, although a good deal less alarming.
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Oh dear! That’s a beautiful snake that I think I have seen near our marsh but never near the fish pond. If I’d encountered your snake, I think I, not the snake, would have shot out of the water like a rocket.
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