Coral Snake |

Today marks 30 days in a row without a break from my real job. Partly because of that and partly because I had a chicken coop to finish and an article due to Texas Gardener magazine, I have not had a chance to work on the blog. So today, I am going to post a few random things I have noticed in and around my gardens the past couple of weeks.

First, since I mentioned working too hard, I would like to announce to gardeners around the world — YOU ARE WORKING TOO HARD! I discovered this fact quite by accident. If you look at the pic below you will see a “garden” that is full of castor beans, zinnias, dill, and datura. I think it is lovely. However, I didn’t grow it. This lovely garden popped up this year on top of last year’s burn pile. This “garden” has recieved NO SUPPLEMENTAL WATER, no fertilize and no weeding. The take away? If you want a no fuss summer color garden next year plant lots of zinnias and a datura or two for effect. Back it up with a wall of castor beans and sprinkle some dill in for a filler. Then forget it!

Second, the chickens are consuming every spare minute. If I have not been engaged in building them a palace, then I have been sitting in my yard with my wife watching them. They are hilarious and interesting all at the same time. Any way, while sitting in our favorite spot in front of a bunch of Maximillian Sunflowers, I noticed little globs of “snake spit” all over the sunflower stalks. Ever seen “snake spit”? It is a frothy white liquid that sticks to certain plants and looks a lot like , well, spit. No other way to describe it. Turns out though, it isn’t really spit. It is the frothy protective covering of the nymph form of the Spittle Bug. As soon as baby spittlebugs hatch they start feeding on the sap of their host and using it to make the “spit”. They actually live inside the “spit” until they are big enough to fly away. Turns out the “spit” keeps them moist, warm at night and cool in the day.

“Snakespit” on Maximillian Sunflower

My buddy Bruce Leander is a dang fine photographer from Austin. He can shoot anything but he specializes in Texas native flowers. If I ever need a picture for an article he is the guy I go to. I truly believe he has photographed every kind of plant and bug in Texas (and beyond). He sent me these amzing shots of the ugly little bug that lives under all of that “snake spit”.

Spittlebug photos by Bruce Leander

Since we’re talking “snake spit”, be aware that it is definately snake season again. Last week my wife killed another coral snake in the yard and I killed a copperhead. In addition to that I caught a rat snake that I chose to relocate. So, when you go out in the garden make sure you wear good sturdy shoes and take a stick with you. You just never know what you are going to find under those tomato bushes.

Poor coral snake. He crossed the yard at the wrong time

Copperheads may be pretty, but they are mean! I personally know three people that were bitten by them in Washington County last summer.

And finally, not only is it snake season, it is tomato season. I have 17 plants and I am bringing in about 8 lbs of tomatoes a day. My poor wife is so busy canning salsa, paste and whole tomatoes. Below is a picture from Harry Cabluck of Austin. Harry is a pretty famous photographer. He is also a gardener and reader of this blog. Check out the pic of one of his harvests and also take a minute to look at some truly amazing photgraphs on his website (http://www.harrycabluck.com/site/Home.html).

Tomatoes from MOH reader Harry Cabluck’s Austin garden – Juanne Flamme, Porter(ish) volunteer, Early Wonder, Gregori’s Altai (grafted onto Maxifort).

Almost forgot to mention the Chickens. Our girls are 8 weeks old tomorrow. They are still adjusting to their new home. Each night I sit with them and help them feel more comfortable. Sally calls me their “rooster”.

Yesterday was a very sad day for me. You see, I lost the best gardening partner I have ever had; my wife. Now before you get all teary eyed, realize that she did not die. No, Sally is still very much alive. However, something happened yesterday that has me convinced that her gardening days are over.

Since yesterday was an uncharacteristically cool and cloudy July day, Sally and I decided that it would be the perfect time to catch up on some much needed weeding in the flower beds. Sally and I are a great little weed pulling team. We have worked these beds enough together that we can very quickly and efficently strip a bed of all unwanted plant material. Yesterday was no exception. Spurred on by the cool temps, we quickly built up a nice pile of weeds. The pile was bigger than either of us could comfortably carry to the burn pile so I went to the garage and got out the wheelbarrow. When I reached down and picked up the pile I was VERY surprised to find a CORAL SNAKE slithering through the pile of weeds in my hand! Now I am not a snake hater. Heck, I am not even scared of most snakes. But this was different. This one could kill me and that realization occured to my brain as soon as it saw those bright bands of color gliding through my hands.

Luckily for me, coral snakes are not very aggresive. If there had been a copper head or rattler in that pile of weeds I would have been very bit very quickly. However, this little guy only wanted to get as far away from me as quickly as he could. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t fast enough. I never kill snakes; unless they are poisonous! And since coral snakes are the most poisonous snake in North America, this guy had to die.

There are lots of myths and wives tales concerning coral snakes. The most common one goes like this “Because of their small size, they can’t bite you except in little skinny places on your body like a little finger or the flap of skin between your thumb and index finger.” THIS IS FALSE!!!! A coral snake can and will bite you anywhere you give him an opening. If you try and pick up a coral snake by its tail, it will climb its own body to give you a bite that is at the least, painful and at its worst, deadly. So never, ever try and pick one up by the tail, even if you think it is dead. Also remember that when a snake dies, it’s muscles twitch and contract for quite a while after you kill it (this guy twitched for over an hour). Because of this, snakes can actually still bite you after they are dead. Due to this, you should never, never, never pick one up by the tail unless you are certain it is “dead still” or it’s head has been removed and disposed of. It would be awfully embarrassing to get to heaven and have to explain to St. Peter that you got killed by a bite from a dead snake!

All joking aside, finding this snake in my flower bed is very bad news for me. Because of this little incident, I am certain that I have forever lost my wife as a weeding partner. Sally is deathly afraid of snakes. I can no longer brush off her fears and tell her there is nothing out there to worry about. She now knows very well that there are things out there that can kill her and she is in no hurry to die. So, thanks to this brightly colored, 25″ long snake, my gardening work load has been increased. Not only have I lost my partner, but my own output will be greatly reduced because now, each time I get on my knees to pull weeds, I will be doing just as much snake hunting as weed pulling!

Tag Archives: Coral Snake

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