Snakes in Virginia

 

Poison or Not?

                Mention the word “snake” and many people immediately think of poisonous snakes.  In Virginia, there are 30 species of snakes, but only three of them are poisonous: Copperheads, Cottonmouths, and  Rattlers.  The Northern Copperhead is the only poisonous snake found throughout Virginia.  Eastern Cottonmouths, or water moccasins, are usually only found in the southeastern part of the state, not as far west as Richmond.  There are several common water snakes in our area, but none are poisonous.  Timber rattlesnakes are typically only found in the far western part of the state.  Looking at the snake population another way – there are 27 species of harmless snakes found in Virginia.

Characteristics

                Snakes are reptiles, meaning they are cold-blooded.  They need to warm in the sun to stay active and must hibernate in the winter.  Most snakes lay eggs but some, such as garter snakes, give birth to live young.  A snake’s skin is covered in scales.  Snakes have many vertebrae and rib bones, making them very flexible.  Snakes test the air by “smelling” with their tongues to detect chemical particles.  They have internal ears rather than external ears, but sense vibrations through their jawbones.  They have no eyelids.  A flexible lower jaw enables a snake to open wide and swallow its prey whole.

Predators and Prey

                Snakes are carnivores and eat insects, frogs, birds, small mammals, rodents, fish, lizards and more.   Snakes are good climbers, and can climb a tree to eat bird eggs.  Snakes, also part of the food chain,  are eaten by large birds, coyotes and even skunks and raccoons.  However their biggest threat is loss of habitat due to overdevelopment.

What to do

                If you see a snake in your yard, keep your distance and avoid it.  Never pick up a snake, even a harmless one can still bite.  Rest assured the snake is eating bugs, slugs, mice, moles and unwanted pests around your house.  It is unfortunate that many fearful people think that “the only good snake is a dead snake,” and aggressively kill harmless snakes.  It is actually illegal to kill a snake in Virginia, “unless it presents an imminent threat to one’s health and safety,” according to the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech.  Snakes are protected under state nongame regulations. 

 

Snake Quiz

Test your knowledge.  Following is a list of true/false questions about snakes. 

1.       A snake can smell with its tongue.

2.       Snakes are reptiles.

3.       Snakes cannot climb trees because they have no legs.

4.       Snakes are flexible because they have no real bones.

5.       Snakes are warm blooded.

6.       Snakes eat rodents, fish, frogs and lizards.

7.       Snakes migrate in the winter.

8.       All snakes lay eggs.

9.       Only poisonous snakes can bite.

10.   Snakes eat eggs, insects and birds.

11.   Some birds eat snakes.

12.   In Virginia it is against the law to kill snakes.

13.   Coyotes and raccoons eat snakes.

14.   There are no Copperheads in Richmond.

15.   Snakes swallow their food whole.

16.   Predators are the biggest threat to snakes.

17.   Water moccasins can be found in the creeks and rivers in Richmond.

18.   Garter snakes give birth to live snakes.

19.   There is only one kind of rattlesnake found in Richmond.

20.   Snakes are omnivores.

21.   Snakes have small external ears.

22.   Snakes don’t have eyelids.

 

Answers: 1 T,  2 T,  3 F,  4 F,  5 F,  6 T,  7 F,  8 F,  9 F,  10 T,  11 T,  12 T,  13 T,  14 F,  15 T,  16 F,  17 F,  18 T, 19 F,  20 F,  21 F,  22 T

Snakes are very good climbers.

 

Great Book for Butterfly Identification and Gardening

 

            If you have children or grandchildren, if you have any interest in butterflies, or if you are thinking about butterfly gardening – there is one book you must have.  The Life Cycles of Butterflies, by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards, is the best butterfly book on the market today.

            Butterfly identification can be challenging.  Many comprehensive guide books show you hundreds of butterflies that can found all over the world.  This book is not one of them.  This book only covers twenty-three of the common butterflies you will find in Virginia and surrounding states. The authors simplify identification by eliminating all the exotic butterflies you might find in tropical rainforests on other continents. 

            The book’s layout is comprehensive yet very logical and simple to use, with only 150 pages and plenty of photographs.  For each species, there are photographs that show the egg, the caterpillar and the mature butterfly.  But in the back of the book you will find easy comparison guides showing a side-by-side comparison of eggs, caterpillars and also chrysalises for quick reference.

            In addition to butterfly identification made easy, the authors also simplify butterfly gardening, with separate sections for nectar plants and host plants.  One thing that makes this book different from others is that the authors are not entomologists or scientists, they are avid butterfly gardeners.  They speak to their readers as one gardener speaks to another.  The book offers a handy “top ten” list of plants that attract butterflies, followed by a more detailed listing of the plants, recommended varieties and photographs.  Host plants are listed along with plant descriptions and detailed photographs showing each plant as well as the butterfly associated with it.

            It isn’t often that you can find all of the answers to all of your questions in a single book.  The Life Cycles of Butterflies is such a comprehensive, yet easy to use guide, you will want to buy several, one for yourself and one as a gift for a gardening friend or a special child in your life. 

Wheel Bug: A Stealthy Assassin in the Garden

Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) Note the rounded dorsal “wheel” armor on the Wheel Bug, shown here hanging upside down devouring a bee. A Wheel Bug inserts its long beak-like proboscis into its prey to inject an enzyme which paralyzes the victim and dissolves the insides so that the Wheel Bug can then suck the juices out, thus draining it victim. It also has scent sacs which can emit a foul odor if disturbed. And, if that’s not enough defense mechanisms for one creature, this insect can produce an extremely painful bite if handled, a bite more painful than a bee sting. Because it eats insects in the garden, the Wheel Bug is considered a beneficial insect. These 1.5 inch long insects are members of the Assassin Bug family. 

Winter Coastal Birding

     Winter boating on the Intracoastal Waterway offers an amazing opportunity to see a variety of birds.  On a recent cruise along the Waccamaw River and Winyah Bay, near Georgetown, South Carolina, the birds were plentiful.  Unfortunately, my camera skills are better suited to shooting nonmoving subjects on firm ground.  However, here are a few of the birds I saw:





Bald Eagles



Lots of Cormorants
 

Oystercatchers
 

Mergansers
 

Egrets



Vultures

 

Herons

 

Yaupon Holly

     Based on the botanical name Ilex vomitoria, yaupon holly could easily make a bad first impression.  But its bright red berries are important winter food for many birds, ducks and mammals.  Like most hollies, it is evergreen, and both male and female plants are needed to produce berries. 
     Yaupons are native to the southeastern states and are usually found along coastal plains.  The shrub was considered an important plant in early Native American culture.  The wood was used to make arrows.  The leaves were used to make a strong tea called "black drink" which was consumed to induce vomiting during purification ceremonies.  It is the only native plant in North America that contains caffeine. 

Resurrection Ferns

 

      The massive live oaks that grow in South Carolina's lowcountry are impressive for many reasons: their enormous size, the gray Spanish moss draped from the branches, the leaves that remain green year-round and the small ferns that live in the branches.  Resurrection fern is the common name for Polypodium polypodioides, a creeping fern that attaches to limbs of live oaks.
      The resurrection fern is an epiphyte that grows on top of another plant but does not steal nutrients or water from the host plant.  The host plant serves only as an anchor. 
     The most remarkable feature of the resurrection fern is its ability to dry and shrivel up during dry weather, losing up to 75 percent of its water content. (Typically a plant can only lose about 10 percent of its water content before it dies.) Although it appears dead, the resurrection fern comes back to life when exposed to water again. This plant was once taken aboard the space shuttle so that scientists could observe its "resurrection" process in zero gravity.  The plant's range extends from New York to Florida, and westward to Texas.

The plant's response to dry weather.

 

 

The plant "resurrected".