Warm summers bring out the best in – SNAKES!

By BEN OLSON/for The Herald  —  I’ve been seeing quite a few snakes since the summer heat has moved in.

 If you’ve been out on the trail, doing some gardening or moving a pile of old boards or firewood, chances are that you’ve seen them too. I’ve been told by learned locals that there are no poisonous snakes here in Oakridge. It’s a good thing to know.

Where I lived in Wisconsin, there were no poisonous snakes, either, except where there were. Up in the bluffs, rattlesnakes could be found, and occasionally bit someone who wasn’t paying attention. The state DNR got some heat for re-introducing timber rattlers to a large wildlife refuge in the central part of the state. The locals were unconvinced that the fences would keep the snakes in.

While snakes are adept at crawling, they also can swim, climb and burrow, talents that many of us are not very good at, even with functional limbs. Perhaps the best thing snakes are good at is scaring the bejabbers out of us when we encounter one. It must be an innate human trait to be initially alarmed upon seeing a snake at close range. I don’t remember my parents ever telling me to be careful around snakes. It just seems like the thing to do. 

My dog has been unable to continue up a hiking trail until the offending snake has moved off. He uses the same bark that he would employ on a bear, cougar or mountain biker. Cats, however, will mess with a snake, because that’s the kind of thing that they’ll do. 

70% of snake species lay eggs. Some snakes in northern climates give live birth to their snakelets. Snakes are not aggressive and will not attack you. They work from the defensive position. A coiled rattlesnake can only strike about half the length of their body. Any attempts to measure how long the snake actually is would prove to be dangerous. The snake will graciously give you the option of slowly backing away.  

Snakes got a bad reputation early in the Old Testament. That kind of publicity is hard to overcome. Just like we shouldn’t judge a whole group of people by the actions of one individual, so it is with snakes. Snakes are carnivores and enjoy eating insects and small rodents. Very effective hunters, they eat pests so that your house cat won’t have to. 

Anyone writing an article about snakes has an obligation to mention that they’re not slimy. Scaly, yes, but not slimy. Next time a snake catches you unawares, please let him alone. The neighborhood will be a better place if these reptiles are allowed to co-exist with us.