A Black Racer has been hanging around the property this week so I thought it was a good time to dust off and republish one of the lost articles on these sleek beauties.
Dateline: February 2014*
Living in a rural location, I have an outside well pump and tank with a water conditioning system added.
Who goes thar?
This week as I walked passed, something swooshed and I spotted a Southern Black Racer snake (Coluber constrictor priapus) slithering through the hole in the platform that holds up the tank section. I guess this is a perfect place for protection from the elements, but with opportunities for a free meal.
All settled in to the ready-made den
You see, recently we had a brief freeze, so I had to bundle up the well to prevent freezing pipes. I use two moving blankets and a sheet along with some clothespins and a bungie cord to keep everything snugged up. Two days later when we returned to record 85F temperatures, I undressed the pump and found that a Green Anole had taken up residence in the sheet…great protection from the freeze, I suppose. And I guess the snake followed the Anole to the “Well Pump Inn”.
The pump bundled up for the freeze
There is the time I found a jumping spider nesting in the protective cover for the conditioner timer. And another when I spotted a jumping spider dining on an invasive treefrog that would have clogged up the gears, had he not taken care of the problem.
Female Regal Jumping Spider (Phidippus regius) picked an unfortunate location for her nest. My attempt to relocate tho’ necessary was unsuccessful
Unfortunately, the invasive frogs still manage to clog up the gears and the result is a broken timer so that I now have to go out and manually set it to backwash the unit. This is the second time they did it in…another $167.00 dollars down the drain…so to speak 😉 A new unit is on the list to be ordered. Thankfully I can install it myself.
If only the jumping spiders could get rid of the invasive treefrog BEFORE they cause major damage to the timer units
I’ve had ants short out the electrical box in their quest to find a home and somehow a lizard got through the conditioner tube and screwed up the float that regulates the water…he didn’t make it on his adventure. I’ve had friends who had lizards’ short out the electric box…unfortunately, they called a plumber before they talked to me. I could have saved them some money by teaching them to clean out the contacts that cause the short.
This lizard was hiding in the sheet that was covering the well for our day of freeze. Happily released into 82F weather
I’m happy that I am handy enough to have been able to fix many of the problems on my own…amazing the empowerment of a Phillips Head screwdriver. 😀
So, the well continues to provide interesting habitat. I suppose that I could enclose it, but likely, that would not eliminate the use as a fun, warm habitat. This past week with the return of high temperatures, I saw through the shed window a swarm of ladybugs…another habitat for our friendly fauna.
Next day, he still seems happy
Critters will get in to small places, so it’s just a matter of routinely monitoring them to ensure they don’t cause a problem. In the meantime, I will stop by the “snake den” to see what his plans are for the day. Racers are egg layers as opposed to giving live birth, so it won’t be a maternity ward.
Do you have unusual places around your home that provide habitat?
*This tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters in February 2014 at the defunct national blog beautifulwildlifegarden[dot]com.
I was out and about looking for things to photograph this sunny Sunday when out of the corner of my eye I spied my friend in the above featured photo. While it may look like a snake, it is actually a legless lizard. It brought to mind an interesting encounter I had with this native species a few years back, so I thought I would republish the tale of the tail.
Dateline: August 15, 2014*
Tanner, the English Setter (08/26/02-09/24/17) was headed out for his afternoon stroll of the yard. I saw something over behind a tall cluster of Bidens alba and it seemed to be thrashing. Tanner zoomed on over and flushed out a Red-Shouldered Hawk. The hawk flew off with its feathers somewhat ruffled in the quick getaway.
Ruffled feathers
Tanner headed back to the spot where the hawk had been. I called him and quickly ran over to see what was up…concerned that the hawk had caught one of the venomous snakes that were around in recent times. It’s important to remember that even in death snakes can inflict harm via a reflex bite for a considerable amount of time. I saw something writhing and quickly ushered Tanner off to the house where I grabbed the camera.
Tanner ((08/26/02-09/24/17), always alert for wildlife adventures
Back at the scene of the crime, I relaxed as there was only the tail end of whatever the hawk was enticed by. No rattle, and too thin to be a cottonmouth…WHEW! Naturally, needing to share my story, I took a quick video (19 seconds) of the headless creature that seemed quite lively despite lacking its thinking cap.
Then I took a few still shots so I could identify just what wiggling friend this had been before becoming victim to the food chain. I picked it up and flipped it over the fence into the wildlife area, considering that maybe the hawk would come back once we weren’t around. Initially I thought it was the end of a black racer snake, but the cut section seemed too clean to have been a snake shredded by the hawk.
the headless horseman
That’s when it dawned on me. I had the tail end of an Eastern Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis), a legless lizard often mistaken for a snake. I confirmed this with my trusty pal Kim of Swamp Girl Adventures who is a naturalist specializing in reptiles.
Most lizards will break free leaving their wiggling tail behind in an attempt to distract their predator while making an escape. This phenomenon is known as autotomy. This lizard will regenerate the tail over time.
Clean break
The tail seemed to have snapped off cleanly with innards that formed a zigzag pattern. It looked like it could nicely fit back together using a little super glue if it ever met up with it’s front part.
Glass lizards are native to the southeastern United States. They eat insects and their larvae, spiders, snails, small snakes and possibly small rodents. In turn they feed snakes and birds. Females lay eggs and stay with them unless threatened.
Bottom was pure white
I didn’t get a real good look at the hawk taking flight, so I can’t be sure if it had the business end of the lizard in its grasp.
I scanned the tree line to see if I could find the hawk and I spotted him far in the distance sitting atop a street light pole on the next block. With the limited zoom capability of my camera, it is not the best picture but you can tell where his feathers are clearly ruffled.
Ahhhh, there you are!
I headed in and checked the photographs on the computer. Satisfied that there was enough photographic detail to accompany my tale, I went back out to move the tail out into the open where I’m sure some critter(s) would enjoy the doggie bag. This was 30 minutes later and it was still writhing and twisting. I don’t know about the hawk, but I’d certainly be deceived into thinking it was alive.
loseup of a complete Glass Lizard from November 2010
We’ll never know if the glass lizard made a clean escape, but it’s another example of Mother Nature’s wonders in my beautiful wildlife garden. Once again I thank her for giving me the idea for my weekly article. It has been fun to be able to tell the tale of the tail.
*This tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters on August 15, 2014 at the defunct national blog beautifulwildlifegarden[dot]com. Click the date to view reader comments.
This is a tribute, of sorts, to my late and great Irish Setter Chili (11/10/02-04/01/16) whose antics I still miss every day.
Dateline: October 14, 2011*
The CULPRIT!
Ok, it’s a domestic dog, but she’s “wild” and full of “life”, so give me a little leeway here. Meet Chili, World Class Reptile Hunter, ok, maybe World Class is a stretch…Holopaw’s Furriest Reptile Hunter. That better?
The PRIZE!
I heard the bark…the “hear this, I’m about to get in trouble” bark. “WOOF! WOOF, I FOUND SOMETHINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG”. I head on over and find my busy Irish Setter with her nose under a wax myrtle shrub, against the fence. Suddenly the head comes out and her “prize” is being carted away. I run along after her and command her to “SPIT”. Now, a lot of people teach their dog the “drop” command, but I tend to make the commands a little more on the interesting side. Out of her mouth pops the turtle. I snap a picture and follow it with a “AWAY” command and Chili dutifully looks at me and thinks about reaching back in to grab the prize, but sees the look on my face and opts to move away, albeit not too far. I walk over, and she and I tiptoe on opposite sides of the turtle deciding who will grab it first. I command her to SIT/STAY and snap another picture of her. Then I think about the turtle peeing on my hands and take Chili by her collar and she heels along side to be put in the house.
Giving up her treasure….GOOD DOGGIE!
Alone now, I grab my gloves and head over to pick up the turtle to check for damage. None present. I look at the bottom and determine it is a girl turtle and she looks fine and dandy. She has snapped her hinges shut tighter than bark on a tree and I presume she isn’t going to give me a peak, so I take Harriet over to a section of yard that has a lot of brambles and place her gently down in this safe haven.
Florida Box Turtle
This particular turtle is known as a Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri) a subspecies of the Eastern Box Turtle. Box turtles have a highly domed carapace (upper shell) and a hinged plastron (bottom shell) that can be completely shut to keep out predators, such as Irish Setters. Turtles are omnivores.
“They eat snails, insects, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, birds, and eggs indiscriminately. They have been observed eating carrion, feeding on dead ducks, amphibians, assorted small mammals, and even a dead cow. Their preference varies greatly by season but there is one definite trend. Young are primarily carnivorous while they grow during their first five to six years. Adults tend to be mostly herbivorous, but they eat no green leaves. Young often hunt in ponds and streams because the type of food they prefer is easier to catch there, but adults usually feed on land.” Box turtles hibernate in colder climates. When it gets too hot, they hide under decaying logs or leaves or look for mud or a mammal burrow to stay cool in. {source}
You can tell it is female because the bottom is flat, males are slightly concave
Fast forward to Thursday. After breakfast the dogs and I head outside into the sunshine. Chili is too quiet, so I walk around to find her. She’s got her nose to the ground, close to the fence. I roll my eyes and call her away. She looks guilty but steps back…sure enough, there is Harriet. Back in the house the hunter and I go. I check a bit later and Harriet is gone and I can’t find her anywhere along the fence perimeter, so I get the dogs out and about again. Chili heads to the fence line and goes into sporting dog mode, nose close to the ground making snorting noises in the grasses and Desmodium spp. vines. OY! You guessed it…she finds Harriet AGAIN, this time in heavy brush along the fence that divides the dog area from the backyard. As I pick Harriet up, she dutifully peed so thank goodness I had placed a plastic glove on before I got her.
I really was reluctant to move Harriet out of her area since turtles have laid eggs in that part of the yard in years past and I recently had found a male turtle there…well, actually The Reptile Hunter found him. Since Harriet seemed to keep getting hung up along the fence, I decided to move her into the backyard where at least she’d be out of the reach of Chili. Mind you, Chili has never hurt her reptile friends, but I don’t think they appreciate her shaking them up as she tries to see what the walking shell is all about.
Since the turtle got INTO the yard despite the fence, theoretically she should be able to get OUT of the area using the same route in, but obviously she forgot her GPS and was lost.
I’m pleased that while I was carrying Harriet to the back, she opted to show her face and when I placed her down walked slowly enough for a photoshoot. Last seen, she was headed for the brick skirting to get under the house which leads…guess where? …to the front yard and the dog area.
I guess I wasn’t a threat, she came out to see me!
Looks like Chili and I will be having another encounter soon.
*This tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters on October 14, 2011 at the defunct national blog beautifulwildlifegarden[dot]com. Click the date to view reader comments.
Tis the season for fish to spawn and there has been a whole lot of jumping going on in my backyard pond. I spotted some small bass by the water’s edge so I thought it was a good time to republish my lost article telling the tale of how I first discovered this species in my wildlife garden.
Dateline: May 10, 2013 *
Just when I think my home wildlife experiences can’t get any better, THEY DO!!!!
What a week it was with the pond. Four new entries on my wildlife life list. Okay, aside from my Audubon checklist booklet, I don’t have a formal list that I write on. I pretty much keep track via my blog posts and a notepad file where I put all the common and scientific names of the fauna and native plants before I transfer them into an actual post.
Black Dancer Damselfly
I spotted the slow flight of a damselfly that had black wings. I immediately thought it was a Jewelwing. I checked pictures on bugguide.net and was pretty satisfied that I had a good I.D., but something was nagging at me about the blue coloring being limited to the very end of the abdomen, whereas those in other photos seemed to have mostly blue abdomens.
They’ve accepted me as their own
The next day I was walking around the pond again and this time, the damselfly landed on my SOCK! I truly have become one with nature. 🙂 I snapped a few shots before it flew away when I turned my foot to get better lighting.
Ornate Pennant has a rather attractive pattern
I wandered further around the end of the pond when I saw a dragonfly with a hint of bright yellow gold. It landed in the margin of the pond so I crawled down the bank and got a few shots. When compared to bug guide entries, this one turns out to be an Ornate Pennant** (Celithemis ornata). And, while trying to locate an ID for this dragonfly, I ran across one of the Florida insects sites and there, in full color was a picture of my DAMSELfly…not a Jewelwing, but a Black Dancer Damselfly (Argia fumipennis atra). Funny how things work out.
Beautiful, glistening wings on the Ornate Pennant Dragonfly
I noticed some water movement while I was busy photographing the odonata and I turned to see some larger fish doing “the dance”. I automatically figured they were Bluegills, a fish that lives toward the bottom of the pond. They come out to the edges during breeding season to lay eggs.
Wait, those aren’t Bluegills
I thought I’d take a photo of this year’s fish as one turned on its side. I was perplexed because the shape was wrong for a bluegill. I zeroed the camera in to get some photos, desperately hoping that the sun glare wouldn’t prevent a photo for identification. About 20 shots and I was lucky enough to get two where you could clearly see the fish. I went to my favorite fish I.D. site, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and started scrolling through the various photos in the “freshwater fish” section.
I guessed correctly
They looked a little like bass to me, but nothing seemed to match up exactly. I went and used a search engine for photographs but still didn’t turn up a match. My next step was to fill out the form at the “Ask FWC” section. It’s a great website that allows you to send a photo along. I’ve used them in the past when I had mosquito fish that were an odd color.
Merely a day after submission, a response came back:
“I had our fish biologist look at your great pictures and he says that those are Largemouth Bass. He says that they can vary in color/ markings it’s just according to the type of water that they are in. Yes, they are a native fish. The NE Regional Customer Service.”
WOO HOO! Native and EDIBLE. I’m headed to the Pro Shop to get me a troller and plan the tournament! Get the cornmeal and cast iron pan and stoke that fire.
Nice size!
So, how did the fish come to live in my pond? I didn’t add them but then again, I didn’t put the bluegills in there either. Spontaneous Generation?
We’ll be polite and not talk about your big mouth
Although there is a lot of debate about whether or not birds transport fish to interior ponds, I want to believe it is true. Most say either fish who appear in unstocked lakes swam from upstream…not a possibility since my pond isn’t attached to any streams…or arrived there by means of flood. Flood is a possibility as I remember my neighbors a couple of lots down saying that several years back they caught bass locally and put them in their pond. Perhaps they did “swim” over the couple of acres…portions of the property between us does become inundated during rainy season, so anything is possible. The culvert water also can rise up meeting the pond during rainy season, so fish would have a possible avenue to get back to the pond, but it still seems an enormous task. I still want to go with some birds bringing in fish eggs on their legs, although their remembering to bring both a boy and a girl fish may be a stretch. 😀
My, my, who have we here?
Next on the list of newbies is an aquatic turtle. I’ve had box turtles for years, but always was disappointed that no turtles ever took up residence in my rather large pond. To me it looks so inviting.
Definitely “a looker”
Years back, I had one soft-shell turtle that the dogs scoped out walking in the front yard, but that one was looking for a way out. I obliged and opened the gate for him (her?). I’m sure it’s no fun being an only turtle. In the wildlife kingdom love is always in the air.
Turtle hangs out on the tussock
So, my new turtle is a young Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis) Synonym/s: Pseudemys floridana subspecies peninsularis. (S)he was positioned on the tussock catching the rays. There are several species of cooters in Florida and I received a positive identification* from some Master Naturalist gurus. Luckily, I captured enough detail through the zoom shot. Identification of turtles is easier if you can see their belly. Despite my commands, this cooter refused to roll over.
With all my newfound residents, I’m sure the wading bird population will increase. I mean, who wouldn’t want to chow down on those nice plump bass?
*This is an update of a tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters on May 10, 2013 at the defunct national blog
beautifulwildlifegarden[dot]com. Click the date to view reader comments.
**In the original 2013 post the dragonfly was misidentified as Amanda’s Pennant.
Yesterday morning, while driving to the community mailbox area to pick up my mail I spotted a cottonmouth snake along the roadway (photo above). Thought it was a good time to dust off an old article I had written on my first encounter with this venomous species.
Dateline: June 22, 2012*
Beautiful, but deadly
I’m doggie sitting this week for a friend of mine. Her two woofs are wonderfully obedient and a pleasure to have around. The other morning all four woofs and I head outside for our usual morning romp in the meadow. I brought a cup of coffee out with me and was standing on the top step by the kitchen door. I saw the big lab/dobbie mix (AND I MEAN BIG!) playing with my Irish. Tanner, the English Setter was off in the front sniffing around.
I looked at the shortest member of the group, Melo, a mix who is a little “quirky”. He must have been abused during his young life for he will cringe in terror at normal routine things such as opening a dishwasher door or if you make a quick movement to pet him. With the patience and understanding of my friend and her family, this adoptee is a bit more confident and very loving.
I glanced at Melo who was at the end of the parking pad. The fur on his back was up and I heard a low, guttural growl. Now, I’ve been having a bit of a rat-fest here…yet another has infiltrated my car engine compartment…a hazard of living rural. Melo has a fabulous reputation as a fruit rat catcher. I was hoping he had zeroed in on one of the enemies so I looked out a bit in front of him. There I saw a snake, a rather thick snake and I figured it was just one of the usual garter or banded water snakes that call my place home.
Now snakes are not uncommon in my yard and I welcome them with open arms…that is until this week. Thankfully Melo listens so when I called his name and yelled, “come”; he immediately turned and trotted back to me. I put him in the house. Next up…I called Hershey the big doofy guest. He too trotted over and entered the kitchen. I yelled out to Tanner and thankfully, he listened and ran inside. Chili was off in the distance so I cautiously walked over closer to the snake. I’m enamoured with snakes and I appreciate their rung in the food chain as they tend to the things I find icky…such as rodents and palmetto bugs. But I always use caution when approaching snakes given that Florida has dozens of snake species, but there are 6 venomous species in our midst. I’ve tangled with several pygmy rattlers, small guys who I can chop the head off with a shovel** without bodily fear to myself. My setters have collectively [been bitten] 3 times by pygmies, all healed with a quick trip to the vet.
No mistaking this triangular head as being a venomous cottonmouth
Back to the current snake…as I glanced, my eyes widened and I thought, “OH CRAP, I know that big triangular head”. There, lying in the high grass was the most beautiful water moccasin snake (Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti) pit viper and one of the more venomous of Florida’s snakes. I quickly ran to get hold of Chili, who doesn’t necessarily listen where wildlife is concerned. Oh, she’ll drop whatever she catches when commanded to, but she insists on needing to catch it FIRST. I grabbed her collar and trotted her off into the kitchen. Then I pulled out my zoom camera (heck, I don’t have a gun…I needed to shoot it with SOMETHING). I got a few snaps but then it “smiled” at me showing the reason that it has its other common name, cottonmouth. It had a mouth full of foam. I was far enough away, but I don’t like to annoy the nature so I backed off. A bit later it was gone, though I’m not sure what direction it headed out to. Other common names are Florida Cottonmouth, Cottonmouth Moccasin, Water Moccasin, Moccasin.
Now cottonmouths are a water snake and with the recent rains my yard has been holding a lot of water. I was grateful for a three-day reprieve so I could tackle the high grass that built up when my mower crapped out. I had done a preliminary mow with the new machine, but had the wheels set high because my native grass meadow is hard to mow if allowed to languish for anything more than a few days. I lowered the wheels and set out to scalp the parking areas and where the dogs play.
I’ve been anxious ever since. I wouldn’t let the dogs out without supervision. Tanner is the only one that goes back by the pond so he has been leash restricted. He loves to jump through the brush on a rabbit hunt and since a pygmy has already bitten him, I don’t have any faith that he is smart enough to back off.
On Chili’s annual visit to the vet this week I inquired if there was anything I could do before I rush one of the dogs in with a cottonmouth bite. He wanted to know why such a question. I explained my dilemma and he said, just get em in here quick. Then he cautioned me to be careful myself. These snakes are not to be messed with.
While hawks do control rodent and snake populations, I’m not sure this young hawk is a match for the very large snake.
So, I contemplated what I could do to change the habitat immediately around my house. I have a trapper coming to trap any of my rodent “friends”. Remove the food source, remove unwanted wildlife. I scalped the area closest to the house, removing a lot of the Spanish needles (Bidens alba) and tall grasses, which saddens me, but we can’t be giving habitat to our venomous friends. I was thrilled to see a hawk land right next to the car clawing at the ground. Shortly thereafter I saw him in the back grass pulling apart pieces of his find and munching away. To me it looked like it was some sort of snake…alas, I doubt it was the big guy I need to move on. I’ve a piece of wood that I intended to build a bluebird nesting box with. Now the plans are being rework into an owl nesting box.
In the meantime, I will keep the 30-foot parameter “defensible area” around the house scalped. I am wearing my clunky boots any time I am out in the yard. I am researching fence installers to prevent Tanner from going back into the pond area. I’m praying that the repeated noise I have created with the weed wacker and mower sessions has bothered the snake enough to slink on down the road. Personally, he didn’t seem to want me hanging around his area any more than I want him hanging around MY area. I’m contemplating shooting lessons…hey, while I don’t relish the thought of killing wildlife, this is one species that I cannot mess around with, although I will opt for it to slither off into it’s own safety any time possible. If it endangers my dogs tho, it is a goner!
I’m a bit more relaxed as the week moves on. I’ve had tens of dozens of snakes in my yard over the years and they don’t seem to hang out for days on end…mostly passing through. I’m holding on to that thought to keep my calm. Time will tell, in the meanwhile, I have the car gassed up and the vet’s number on speed dial…and eyes in the back of my head.
*This is tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters on June 22, 2012 at the defunct national blog beautifulwildlifegarden[dot]com. Click the date to view reader comments.
**Since my initial posting of this article I have evolved and now choose to safely relocate any dangerous wildlife by calling a licensed wildlife relocation service.
The great reptile hunter was at it again. I saw my dog Chili lying in the grass, alert and stretching out her paw like she was batting at something. And, of course, she was. Meet Timmy the turtle (named after a pull toy I owned as a toddler…ahhhh memories!).
In this species, you can’t tell the sex from the bottom, you need to see the tail
Timmy is actually a striped mud turtle(Kinosternon bauri), a rather small reptile species. They only get to be about 3 to 4 inches. These turtles aren’t particularly large
I checked over the turtle and it seemed no worse for having an Irish Setter paw tickle it so I carried it back to the safety of the non-dog area of the yard. That’s when I noticed a bump on the side of its shell. It looked like a cake of mud, so I grabbed a stick to scrape it off. oh NO! You have a lump…tumor or mud?
Well, hmmm, it’s ALIVE!!!! And lookee that…it is curling back OVER the stick. Seems I have found a leech and a pretty strong one at that. As I always have my camera with me, I began the photo shoot. ewwwwww! LEECH!
Leeches have segmented bodies with a large sucker at the rear and a smaller one at the front. Leeches have 1-4 sets of eyes (who knew?). Still, they apparently don’t see well. During the identification search, I came to find out there are dozens of leech species and I while didn’t quite key this one to genus, I did determine it is the Glossiphoniidae Family.
Some genera in that family are pear shaped, which this guy was. It also was pretty small…just shy of the diameter of a quarter which is also a characteristic of some members of this family. To determine genus and species, I needed better photos of the bottom since a lot of the identification traits can be found there. for species identification you need better photos of the bottom, showing the eyes (which would be behind the stick)
Although I removed the leech from the turtle and thought I had gotten it into a rearing container to take a few more photos, somehow it didn’t seem to be there when I went back to look. Either it is the world’s greatest at blending in or I missed the container when I flipped the leech off the turtle. Of course now I will be on the lookout for leeches because I NEED to know what species that guy was. the front part reminds me of an elephant’s trunk
I brought the photos of the leech up on the computer screen. Heck, that wiggling tubular thing looks like an elephant trunk or perhaps the nose of a certain Sesame Street character.
According to the above source, parasitic leeches attach to their host in places that are difficult for their host to reach. The turtle would have been hard-pressed to reach back where this sucker was cozied in. Face closeup but still can’t see the eyes.
So, where do leeches fit in on the steps of the food chain? Hosts of leeches include, fish, ducks and other water birds, amphibians, mammals (including humans) and turtles, such as Timmy here.
In turn, they are food for fish (apparently tit for tat), birds, aquatic insects, garter snakes, other leeches (wow, they are cannibals too!). Snails and mites might eat leech eggs.
“Fishermen will sometimes use freshwater leeches for bait.” The leeches that I read about that were specifically referred to as “freshwater leeches” were in a different order/family (Gnathobdellida/Hirudinidae) and it noted that those could use turtles and mammals as hosts. Leeches have been used for medical purposes for deliberate bloodletting. a little creepy, but beneficial
I’m not sure that Snuffle was actually using Timmy as a host since it was stuck on the shell. Having seen a broken shell or two, there never seemed to be any blood so I‘m not sure that it is possible to suck blood from the shell, and I’ve read where leeches often are found on the legs of snapper turtles which makes a lot more sense to me. Maybe Snuffle was just hitching a ride or maybe the tables were turned and the leech was actually a “takeout” lunch for the turtle’s mate. Or, perhaps they were playing hide and seek.
At any rate, despite being a little creepy to look at, they do have benefits in your beautiful wildlife garden, so embrace them, but not so lovingly that they become stuck on you.
*This is an update of a tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters on December 12, 2014 at the defunct national blog beautifulwildlifegarden[dot]com. Click the date to view reader comments.
This past week my rescued English Setter Jorja (age 12) pointed out a striped mud turtle (shown above in the featured photo). Perfect time to dust off one of the lost tales of this species in my garden.
Dateline: February 28, 2014*
The second turtle found…come out, come out, wherever you are!
The other evening, Chili, the Irish setter a.k.a. the great reptile hunter sounded the warning and I headed out to round her up. She was barking non-stop along the edge of the fence, which could mean rabbit, but given the area, a snake or turtle was more likely.
I trotted her off to the house and didn’t give it a second thought. Two of the other dogs were already inside. About an hour later or so, I called for Tanner, the English setter to come join us, as it was starting to turn dark. No response! I called again, giving him the treat signal and still no dog.
Well looky here, Tanner has himself a mud turtle
I put on my garden shoes and headed out to track down my boy, who often will just be staring into the backyard with visions of rabbits on his mind. This time, though, he had something that seemed wonderful to gnaw on. “Ok, boy, you found a good stick?” On closer inspection, I realized that he had a mud turtle in his clutches. A quick command to “spit” and out popped the turtle and Tanner somewhat unwillingly headed into the house with me. Ahhh, mystery solved as to what Chili had spotted earlier.
Good, no damage to the bottom, so he should be fine despite being shook up by a dog
I returned to the scene of the crime and picked up the mud turtle to examine for damage. He had some gnaw marks on the upper shell, but seemed no worse for the wear. The bottom was fine and the chipped part of the shell was an old injury…worn down and still caked in mud. I gently took my new friend and placed him in the dog-free area…the pollinator garden section under some nice vines. From here he could easily find the back pond or stay in the coolness of this soft dirt area. I checked about an hour later and he was gone, so Tanner didn’t do any lasting damage.
Hey, there’s another….smaller one
The next day when I released the troops, I decided that I better go check the area next to the fence. It wouldn’t be the first time that a turtle returned to the dog area after I moved it to safety. I looked down and spotted a smaller turtle, with less of a mud covering. On this one three light stripes were evident, so I knew we had some Striped Mud Turtles (Kinosternon bauri).
This one isn’t so muddy
These turtles are aquatic, but spend a considerable amount of time on land. Small in stature, they rarely reach more than 4-5 inches long. The one that Tanner found was very encrusted with mud and given that the stripes weren’t apparent is likely an older member of the species, which normally have their stripes fade.
I’m not sure of the sex of my newfound friends since that is distinguished by the length and thickness of their tails and neither one was wagging it at me. Males are said to be smaller and some consider this species “drab and undistinguished”. Rather judgmental, if you ask me. I prefer to think of them as “smart to blend in”.
This small turtle was VERY strong. As soon as I got close to setting it down in the brush, it already had the claws out to start running
Diet is said to include cabbage palm fruit (Sabal palmetto) and juniper leaves. They also eat algae, snails, insects, and dead fish. Seems they also have been known to check out what’s cooking in the cow dung [gag].
The initial area they were found in is right next to the saw palmettos (Serenoa repens) and since I don’t have any cabbage palms that are fruiting, maybe they expand their fruit intake to this similar palm species since there are considerable amounts of dried seeds scattered on the ground below. This is also a slightly muddy area where storm water heads off into the culvert. My lot also has lots of snails and plenty of insects to choose from.
The characteristic three stripes on this guy (or gal) are quite noticable, so perhaps a younger member.
So, we can add mud turtle to our list of turtle species visitors, which includes Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri), Peninsula Cooter(Pseudemys peninsularis) and Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox). I wonder who’ll be next.
*This is an update of a tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters on February 28, 2014 at the defunct national blog beautifulwildlifegarden[dot]com. Click the date to view reader comments.
I often don’t leave my property for days at a time. That gave a Common Ground-Dove(Columbina passerina) time to build a nest alongside the driveway gatepost in a tangle of Saltbush. It flushed out the other day when I was headed to the vet with Louie, the new Labrador rescue family member.
First there was one egg
I was out and about several time since and I guess the dove didn’t like the constant disruption of the gate opening and closing for it seemed to me as of yesterday that the two tiny bright white eggs had been abandoned.
Wait, you don’t look like a ground dove
Today as I was cleaning up after the dogs I noticed some movement by the nest. I crept over to get a closer look and was surprised by what I found staring back at me. A colorful Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus). A very BEEFY, colorful corn snake.
A snake that goes by many common names: Eastern Corn Snake, Corn Snake, Chicken Snake, Red Rat Snake (Pantherophis guttatus)
I could see that it already had eaten an egg by the bulge 10 or so inches down its sleek length. Corn snakes are generally 18-44 inches but can grow to as long as 7 feet. I’d say that this one was about 3.5-4 foot or so and noticed that the tail was blunted, obviously bitten off by something larger up the food chain.
Great markings on the bottom of this beefy snake
The snake was quite tolerant of the photo shoot but when I reached in to move some leaves in the way it backed down the tangle of Florida native Saltbush (Baccharis halimifolia) that the dove had chosen as a home. I glanced in the nest and it was empty.
Given the bird’s leeriness of me (I’m harmless, I swear), it probably was for the best all around. I don’t think the eggs were being properly incubated given the amount of time mom had been spending away from the nest. Even if I was 20 to 30 feet away the bird was flushing out to take cover across the street. When I mowed the driveway the other day Momma bird was gone for an hour or more.
Pretty good length. I see them crossing the road sometimes, but they are not usually this big.
So, Mother Nature found a solution. Snakes need to eat and what better choice than abandoned nest eggs. Now I just hope that the snake is feeling full enough that it doesn’t seek out the new Cardinal babies that are growing daily over in the Wax Myrtle.
I find is fascinating how coincidences just seem to automatically happen to me. Today I was headed out to put some cans and bottles into the recycling bin when I was startled by a visitor lounging atop my trash can.
closer look
Although this black racer snake is harmless in that it is of the non-venomous variety, I immediately called Jorja, my English Setter girl and put her inside since I wanted to take some photos and I knew she’d scare my sleek friend away. I did my photo shoot and took a video with my phone.
oh good. He’s into recycling too!
Excited by my encounter I posted the video to Twitter and alerted my good friend Cindy. I was actually kinda proud because she had posted a video of a spider who was doing laps around her lampshade just the day before and I was pleased to have an “action” post of my own.
A bit later in the day Cindy alerted me to the fact that it is actually World Snake Day. Seems there is a day for everything. But how coincidental is it that my buddy showed up on this particular day?
This one seemed intent on catching the exotic brown anoles along the brick skirting around the house. That is encouraging because those exotics take habitat away from our native anoles. Then it started to climb up the side of the house and I thought that was a pretty good idea since (s)he seemed to want to crawl behind the shutters where I know the invasive Cuban tree frogs lurk during daylight. Nothing I like more than my native friends keeping pesky invaders in check.
He did his best imitation of a venomous cottonmouth by flattening his head
The racer did slither along the fence providing more great entertainment and making for a really happy World Snake Day. Hope you enjoyed yours as well.
The other day I was doing my daily lap around the pond (on foot, I didn’t swim it 😉 ) when I nearly stepped on one of my slithering friends. A demure Peninsula Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus sackenii) was scouting through the littoral zone of the pond in search of something good to eat. This native Florida non-venomous snake is live bearing and has a diet that includes fishes, frogs, salamanders, and earthworms. Mind you, in central Florida it would be hard-pressed to find any earthworms, so it must have been waiting on the leopard frogs, or fishing for mosquito fish or topminnows.
well hidden, I nearly stepped on the poor thing down at the pond
The Peninsula Ribbon Snake is a subspecies of the Eastern Ribbon Snake. Both are members of the same genus as Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) which are found in many areas of the country. Garter snakes serve as food for many others up the food chain including herons, hawks, raccoons and other mammals, large fish, turtles and bullfrogs.
To me this ribbon snake, found on my patio looks like it is smiling.
A few weeks back I had another ribbon snake visit up on the patio. Early morning finds many of the snakes seeking extra warmth from the sun on the impervious concrete surface of the patio. That particular one was hanging out on the brick skirting foundation around the base of the house using a decorative candleholder lamp as a hiding spot.
Long and thin and hanging out on the bricks
Ribbon snakes are long and slender reptiles with an average adult size at 20-28 inches. Record is 40 inches. My patio dweller was on the low end of the length, but the one back by the pond this week seems to be shooting for the record. His tail went on for days as I desperately tried to get a few photos without much luck. They move pretty quickly.
it was using the candle holding lamp as a hiding spot
I have shared tales of the many species of snakes that call my place home. The non-venomous include Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata), Eastern Garter Snake(Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) seen dining on frogs, Eastern Hognose(Heterodon platirhinos) playing dead to fool the resident Irish setter and myself and Southern Black Racer Snakes(Coluber constrictor priapus) which have shown that they can be cannibalistic.
closeup of those stripes
On the scarier side are the venomous visitors to my place, including the Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake(Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) who have tasted two of my three dogs and the one species that really makes my heart stop, the Water Moccasin a.k.a. Cottonmouth(Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti), venomous with a capital “V”.
While they may bite if you harrass them, they are more inclined to warn you off with a simple flick of the tongue
Other areas of the country such as California also are home to some potentially deadly visitors. If you garden in areas of the country that have venomous snakes, be sure you can identify what resides at your place and have an action plan in case the worst happens. And keep aware of your surroundings at all times. They are nothing to be afraid of, as they want less to do with you than you do with them, but you do need to be alert to avoid accidental encounters.
Here is a photo of one from 2010 that took two panels to get the whole snake in a picture.
Snakes are beautiful and fascinating and a fun addition to the wildlife garden. Larger species provide pest control (think rats, mice, voles) so it is worth it to provide safe havens in brush piles to encourage them to take up residence to keep those species in check.
Another from 2010 climbing in a Florida Native Winged Elm Tree (Ulmus alata)
*This tale was originally published by Loret T. Setters on June 13, 2015 at the defunct national blog nativeplantwildlifegarden[dot]com. Click the date to view reader comments.
Tales of a Central Florida Wildlife Garden 