OT - What You Don't Get in Your Yard in CT

[jleves]

Walked outside last night and was greeted by this just outside my back door:

 

[jleves]

 

[Rico444]

http://www.freep.com/story/news/2015/08/03/plant-can-blind-you-found-michigan/31077073/

Or this.

 

[BearJWS]

View attachment 10162

I'm sorry, but I'd freak out more if I found the Travelocity Gnome in my back yard. Just saying.

We have more snakes in CT than Gnomes!

 

[Dove]

A couple of weeks ago I rescued a barred owl from my swimming pool. Kinda cool.

 

[jleves]

@Hoophound I don't think your Eastern Rattlers are close to being that big. I'm in L.A. It was about 4 feet long and really thick.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Keeping the pests away- rats, mice, etc. Nice. Just watch your step.

 

[Huskies4ever]

@Hoophound I don't think your Eastern Rattlers are close to being that big. I'm in L.A. It was about 4 feet long and really thick.

The eastern timber rattler can reach 5 ft here in CT.

 

[Citrusdog]

Walked outside last night and was greeted by this just outside my back door:

View attachment 10161

We have a lot of different snakes down here - many who don't like to play nice. Needless to say we introduce them to CCI's .357 shot shell. Too many small children around here... so we're proactive in clearing the threats to children and pets. About a 5 1/2 foot moccasin met the shot shell about 3 weeks ago. My wife watched a black racer scale a 6' foot paneled fence in about 1-2 seconds - a few weeks ago. We know the bad ones - the harmless ones are fine. The food supply here is perfect for any snake... excessive amount of lizards.

 

[Deepster]

We have a lot of different snakes down here - many who don't like to play nice. Needless to say we introduce them to CCI's .357 shot shell. Too many small children around here... so we're proactive in clearing the threats to children and pets. About a 5 1/2 foot moccasin met the shot shell about 3 weeks ago. My wife watched a black racer scale a 6' foot paneled fence in about 1-2 seconds - a few weeks ago. We know the bad ones - the harmless ones are fine. The food supply here is perfect for any snake... excessive amount of lizards.

Do they like Chick-o-sticks?

 

[jleves]

We have a lot of different snakes down here - many who don't like to play nice. Needless to say we introduce them to CCI's .357 shot shell. Too many small children around here... so we're proactive in clearing the threats to children and pets. About a 5 1/2 foot moccasin met the shot shell about 3 weeks ago. My wife watched a black racer scale a 6' foot paneled fence in about 1-2 seconds - a few weeks ago. We know the bad ones - the harmless ones are fine. The food supply here is perfect for any snake... excessive amount of lizards.

We have tons of lizards too - great food for snakes. I just stopped by the store tonight and got a new supply of .22 pellets for my air rifle. Next one won't leave the yard.

 

[noeynox]

Walked outside last night and was greeted by this just outside my back door:

View attachment 10161

@Hoophound I don't think your Eastern Rattlers are close to being that big. I'm in L.A. It was about 4 feet long and really thick.

You didn't faint? I don't know about you, but 4 feet long and really thick near your back door? Enjoy... glad I'm still in Ct.

 

[Kitaman]

Poison ivy is still in my yard, I see it everyday through my window.

 

[jleves]

You didn't faint? I don't know about you, but 4 feet long and really thick near your back door? Enjoy... glad I'm still in Ct.

I screamed like a girl and ran back into the house yelling 'SNAKE SNAKE SNAKE'

Then I got my neighbor who isn't afraid of snakes to deal with it. I wanted him to kill it but he use a household broom to get it out of the yard. I got a new tub of .22 pellets to put in my air rifle the next time one comes back in my yard because it isn't going out alive....

 

[intlzncster]

Walked outside last night and was greeted by this just outside my back door:

View attachment 10161

Not that big.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Shocked there hasn't been a "That's What She Said" joke yet

 

[bear]

This was in my boss' pool. Yes, irony.

 

[CL82]

One of the streams that I let my dog swim in has one these bad boys last weekend.

It was right next to the spot she usually jumps in. I moved her up stream and let her go in but I guess I should avoid that area with her. It looked pretty mature so it's probably been around for a while. People always think of the east coast as developed but copperheads, water moccasins (and of course bear) are pretty prevalent. My son took a picture of eastern rattler while hiking, so they are out there as well

 

[cohenzone]

@Hoophound I don't think your Eastern Rattlers are close to being that big. I'm in L.A. It was about 4 feet long and really thick.

What neighborhood? My son and family live in L.A in Westwood just a little north of UCLA, and I sure don't want my grandson anywhere near something like that. The traffic is hazard enough.

 

[Northbound]

Shoot that thing, skin it and eat it. That's good eating right there - fried

 

[intlzncster]

What neighborhood? My son and family live in L.A in Westwood just a little north of UCLA, and I sure don't want my grandson anywhere near something like that. The traffic is hazard enough.

They don't exactly stick to one neighborhood cohen.

 

[cohenzone]

They don't exactly stick to one neighborhood cohen.

But they do favor certain habitats. LA is one of the most spread out cities on the planet. Lots of rattlesnakes in parts of Glastonbury, but saying snakes are slithering in a part of LA and thus everywhere in LA, is like thinking that someone in Hartford is likely to have a Glastonbury snake in the garage.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

My kid's school up the hill has had black bears playing in the playground and I had a coyote eat a deer fawn in my yard once then had a woodchuck for dessert. That was a mess to clean-up. As for dangerous snakes, none so far though they have signs posted in the reserve across the street about Timbers and Cooperheads.

My biggest issue is that it has been very dry this summer in North Jersey and I have found two separate yellow jacket nests with my lawnmower and they in turn used my legs as pin cushions. Bonfired one as it was too close to where the kids play, the second can wait until winter.

 

[superjohn]

Caught a rattlesnake swimming in a lake up in Salisbury back when I was in college. Actually the guy I worked for caught it, I was terrified. We kept it in a cage a couple of days and fed it a mouse which it struck with venom but wouldn't eat, we realized he was on a hunger strike so let him back in the wild.

 

[Hoophound]

One of the streams that I let my dog swim in has one these bad boys last weekend. It was right next to the spot she usually jumps in. I moved her up stream and let her go in but I guess I should avoid that area with her. It looked pretty mature so it's probably been around for a while. People always think of the east coast as developed but copperheads, water moccasins (and of course bear) are pretty prevalent. My son took a picture of eastern rattler while hiking, so they are out there as well

Where was that?