Just in time for Halloween: Snakes and Spiders!

It's been a while since we encountered snakes - - having cleared out 12"+ of leaves from around the house when we moved in two years ago, we've long since seen large ring neck or black snakes around. And it's been a little over a year since I nearly stepped on a smallish copperhead that was lounging just off our patio.

I was surprised to come across this little fellow out front near the front steps, lounging near a hole that went under the cement foundation. Because the snake is juvenile, I can't identify this one properly. I think it's a ribbon snake or an eastern garter snake. Regardless, I know enough to tell that the head isn't triangular and the pupils are round, not vertical slits.

Great resource, just discovered: The Virginia Snake Identification Guide, courtesy of the Virginia Herpetological Society.

Also making an appearance in the front flowerbed was this fine lady, the Yellow Garden Spider. We're used to seeing these when we travel to South Carolina - - we often see these in the palmettos, with massive webs framing the large females.

Creepy Crawlies

It seems that our "discover" rate for slithering or creeping things has slowed considerably since last year. Maybe it was the fun of finding a large black snake making its way across the front yard, or turtles, lizards and the like that make it so noteworthy. Regardless, here are some fun up close encounters that made me stop and grab the camera this spring.

This guy (or gal, based on its size) surprised me as I uncovered the lawn mower in May. It was easily 3" from front legs to rear, and a vibrant shade of orange/brown. I've searched far and wide and haven't been able to come up with an identity for this one. Have an idea? Email me and share your insight!

CEO recently found another awesome crawler outside a local restaurant. Her cell-phone picture is a little blurry, so I'll share this photo from bugguide.com. The Goliath beetle (Dynastes tityus)is one of those monster insects that are usually shown in horror movies, crawling in a carpet towards a hero and damsel, presumably to eat them alive. These usually grow between 2.5 - 3.5" long, and can live for as long as 1.5 years.

And finally, our 'prize' encounter of the year. We'd heard the neighbors say that encounters of this type were a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. Coming across the patio one night, I went to step down onto the driveway, when I saw it: A copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) laying still and partially camoflaged against the aggregate concrete surface. I pulled my bare feet away, confirmed what I was seeing, and - of all things - got our critter net to capture and show the snake to CEO and Big/Little Red (better to have seen what you need to stay away from). We popped it into a clear plastic cage for a better look and saw the poisonous snake characteristics: Triangular head (pointed nose) and two 'pits' in front of the eyes used for sensing heat. Our friend was about 12" long, and apparently had just finished molting, as evidenced by the snake skin found on our patio.

I'm sure we'll have plenty more encounters with new and interesting critters (especially when Little Red gets to open his birthday gift), but that's most of the major species we expected to see within the first year. The only ones not yet on our "seen it" list are bobcats, black bears and coyotes, all of which are supposed to roam the Piedmont. More news from our encounters as they emerge...

CORRECTION: The beetle seen by CEO and shown above is not a Goliath beetle. Goliath beetles are native to Africa and are in the Scarabaeinae family (dung beetles). What she saw is Dynastes tityus, one of three North American rhinoceros beetles. Awesome page of a multitude of beetles in the Dynastinae family (rhinoceros beetles): http://www.insectaculture.com/dynastiphoto.htm

Thanks to Sonia H. for making me dig deeper on this!