Watch Out fer Copperheads!

Backdate: 06/17/2005

My family and I spent the 3rd week of June camping with my in-laws/her parents/their grandparents. This was at the Hocking Hills area of Ohio, which, in addition to being literally gorge-ous, is herptile rich. I will have more tales and pics of this trip in a later post. There is one specific story I wish to relate today.

We spent much time in public land looking for snakes, etc., and did a lot of driving to get to the different parcels of State Forest. On one particular drive, which took us through land that was alternately public and private, we came around a curve to find a live and strutting peacock smack dab in the middle of the road. OK! Then I noticed two Guinea hens on the side of the road just a few yards down from the peacock; after the birds finally yielded right of way, we drove on. We quickly came upon what might be described as a somewhat rundown, and overrun, animal farm/exotic bird ranch/puppy mill/hillbilly museum. In a brief survey of the non-human inhabitants there, I counted: 4 ducks, 2 geese, 2 guinea fowl, 2 peacocks, some chickens, 1 goat, 3 blood hounds, two basset hounds, two lamas, along with several fleetingly-glimpsed, semi-feral cats.

While such a place, one occupied by hoofed-mammals and birds that might prey upon just about anything, isn't always the best in which to go looking for snakes and the like, I did notice that it had a few positive aspects. First, there was the sheer amount of surface debris, including piles of trash, old cars and parts, rusting farm implements, boards, a partially standing corn cribs next to a ramshackle shed. Also the fence at the rear of the property was bordered by a large meadow that appeared undisturbed by the domestic animals. Best of all, I spied several pieces of roofing tin and some other cover in a quieter corner of the barnyard. As no one appeared to be home just then, I determined to stop by again to see if I could gain access.

The following day, with both boys in the car I went back and found the lady of the house home. In response to my standard spiel about who I was and what I wished to do on her property, she said, "Go right on ahead; I'll tell you right now that ther's a mess o' copperheads in that pile o' stuff back there." She motioned toward the pile of tin. I responded with thanks and my assurance that I would make my boys be really careful (in fact, I did not allow them in any of the tall grass or to turn over any cover). We then hopped the fence and headed over to the pile.

I am often told tales by people who have seen "water moccasins" or "rattlers" on their land, despite the fact that I know such snakes do not occur in that area, sometimes not even that state. Usually these reports turn out to be sightings of water snakes or any of several spotted constrictor species, who will often rapidly vibrate their tails when disturbed (when the snake is found in leaves or dry grass, etc, this often produces a rattling sound). But since copperheads are known to inhabit the Hocking Hills area, I took the lady's statement at face value.

In fact I was quite cautious. When lifting cover, I used a stick to pull it high enough to where I could safely get my hands on it. I myself stayed out of the tall grass. We checked quite of bit of debris as we made our way back to the pile of tin. No results.

Finally, after checking the inside of the corncrib and shed, we arrived at the roofing tin. I often marvel at how much of this stuff there is lying around at various places. This looked as if it had never been used-- and there was lots of it! Unfortunately it was somewhat difficult to work with as it was not arranged in neat rows on the ground as I would have liked it to be. It was overlapping and somewhat fanned, sort of like a hand of playing cards. In order to get at it safely, I ended up lifting it piece by piece and setting it against the shed. We found nothing until the last two pieces.

I often find that when searching a pile of debris, the layers that are on top of other pieces are usually uninhabited. It is the layers that are nearly completely against the ground that are most productive. Sure enough, when I flipped the second to last piece, there was a snake neatly coiled in a small depression in the earth. I thought I recognized it right away, but after finding my first venomous snake earlier this year, I looked it over carefully to make sure. It had a medium gray ground color and was blotched with brick-red/brown, black bordered saddles. The clincher was the light gray "v" on the neck. I had been correct; it was an eastern milk snake, Lampropeltis t. triangulum. The first I had found in Ohio. I picked it up, and it remained calm. The boys were going nuts, so I let Joe hold this one, and snapped the picture above. The next piece of tin revealed another milk snake that was nearly the twin of the first; however, its colors were not nearly as bright because it was getting ready to shed.

Interestingly, both had stub-tails. I immediately got a vivid mental picture: a half-crazed hillbilly animal farmer wielding a hoe and chasing what she believed to be copperheads all over the yard. It is possible that there were copperheads on the property, but in light of the fact that the nearest woods were rather dense, and neither they nor the meadow next to the farm contained any rocky outcrops, it is unlikely. This was probably another case of mistaken identity combined with ignorance, possibly resulting in unnecessary killing of a beneficial rodent predator.

After finding just one other snake, a northern ringneck/Diadophos punctatus edwardsii, I went back to the house to let her know that the snakes I found were not venomous, but rather were helpful to farmers. She had left on an errand or something.

I know I have spoken rather harshly of the people that owned this land. Maybe I ought to give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they, too, know that copperheads and other snakes are helpful mouse-eaters. Maybe the cats, or one of the birds, or some other factor was responsible for the fact that both snakes were missing portions of their tails. It could be.

If not though, I guess that even seemingly senseless killing of animals could be part of nature's balance, built in by God. For me, however, it is with reluctance that I play "top predator".