Backyard Nature Wednesday: Texas Garter Snake

One of the fairly anonymous but very useful residents of my backyard is an adult Texas Garter Snake. The snake is seldom seen. I discovered him earlier this year when I was standing near one of my flower beds and looked down to see this seemingly large and very well-fed snake about to slither its way past my feet.

Was I startled? You bet! But I managed to stand my ground without jumping out of my skin and indeed the snake did slither past and continued on toward the woodpile at the back of the garden. I suspect that is where he spends most of his time.

Image of Texas Garter Snake courtesy of the Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research.

These snakes generally range in size from 18 - 25 inches but can grow up to 42 inches long. My snake is definitely longer than 25 inches. I estimated it at about three feet long and, as I mentioned above, it appeared to be a well-fed animal. The natural food of garter snakes includes frogs, toads, salamanders, fish, tadpoles and earthworms. They also are known to sometimes take small mammals, birds, and even carrion. There would certainly be plenty of amphibians and smaller reptiles in my yard for a garter snake to make his regular meals.

Texas Garter Snakes, and garter snakes generally, are completely harmless. They are not aggressive, although they may strike if cornered, as nearly any wild animal will. They are a terrestrial species that ranges primarily over Eastern and Central Texas. They are uncommon everywhere they are found and are almost never seen in large numbers. They can live in many different types of habitats, but typically they will be found close to a water source. They are often seen in stream-side vegetation or in damp soil near bodies of water.

If you are lucky enough to have a garter snake residing in your yard, please be tolerant of him. He is your friend and ally.

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

The Nature of Things

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