{"id":2068,"date":"2018-07-16T15:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T19:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatbiggreenhouse.com\/?p=2068"},"modified":"2018-07-16T15:00:12","modified_gmt":"2018-07-16T19:00:12","slug":"world-snake-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/world-snake-day\/","title":{"rendered":"BONNIE’S GARDEN – World Snake Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
July 16th is World Snake Day.\u00a0 I can already hear some people go \u201cOh, Gross!\u201d\u00a0 I used to be one of them, but as a devout gardener, I\u2019ve developed a healthy respect for them.\u00a0 Still, every summer, I get a lot of questions about how to kill or otherwise get rid of snakes.<\/p>\n
So maybe it\u2019s time we learned a bit about what snakes actually do.\u00a0 Snakes play a very important role in controlling populations of rodents.\u00a0 They eat moles, voles, rats, mice, etc.\u00a0 Without snakes, there would be a dramatic rise in garden\/crop damage and a big increase in rodent spread diseases.<\/p>\n
There are also snakes that eat slugs, snails, beetles, grasshoppers, etc.\u00a0 They also help to prevent infestations of damaging insects.<\/p>\n
There are about 30 species of snakes in Virginia.\u00a0 Only three are poisonous:\u00a0 The Timber Rattlesnake is not found in Central Virginia, but in the western part of the state; the Cottonmouth aka Water Moccasin is found in wet areas somewhat east and south of here\u2014most prevalent in the Virginia Beach\/Back Bay areas; and the Copperhead which is found in most areas in the state.<\/p>\n
Snakes are shy and would far rather avoid contact with you than interact\u2014after all, we are their main predators. When you meet up with one, they tend to freeze momentarily then make tracks.\u00a0 Just get out of their way.\u00a0 Most people get bitten because they are trying to trap or kill a snake.<\/p>\n
The chances of dying from a bite from a poisonous snake are slim.\u00a0 To put it into perspective, over 800 people died on Virginia highways last year.\u00a0 According to the Virginia Poison Center, less than 15 people have died from snake bites in the last 30 years!<\/p>\n
Did you know that it is illegal to kill a snake in Virginia?\u00a0 It is only legal if it directly poses a threat to the immediate vicinity\u2014like a copperhead in your basement or a snake in your chicken coop.\u00a0 It is a misdemeanor punishable by a $1000 fine and up to six months in jail.<\/p>\n
Most snakes you see are simply en route to someplace else.\u00a0 If they\u2019re actually hanging around, then you need to start thinking about what is attracting them.\u00a0 Do you have an infestation of mice or other rodents or an infestation of insects?\u00a0 Get rid of the food source and snakes will be on their merry way.<\/p>\n
So the next time you see a snake, maybe take a minute to appreciate the job they do\u2014before taking a step back and heading indoors.<\/p>\n
For more information about snakes, go to www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" July 16th is World Snake Day.\u00a0 I can already hear some people go \u201cOh, Gross!\u201d\u00a0 I used to be one of them, but as a devout gardener, I\u2019ve developed a healthy respect for them.\u00a0 Still, every summer, I get a lot of questions about how to kill or otherwise get rid of snakes. So maybe … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n