Sunday, June 20, 2010

I spent an hour using the electric trimmer around the house, by the green house, and up at the orchard. Everything looks neat and I decided to water the plants near the house, which are looking stressed. I started at the door to the cellar, and I was a little surprised when I saw movement in the tannish cypress mulch. I moved a step forward and saw the last foot of a copperhead disappear in a hole in the corner.
I know copperheads are around. Once I caught one with an improvised snake loop, dropped it in a plastic bag, drove a mile and crossed the North Fork, and then let it go.
One used to live under the front of my cabin and it would come out to try to catch the birds that would land on the ground near my feeder. I was very careful when I walked out at night to make sure that I didn’t step on it since it certainly would have bit me. A lot of people think you should kill copperheads and other poisonous snakes, but I never do. Rattlesnakes are rather shy—how many have you actually seen out in the wild?—and copperheads don’t seem very aggressive to me.
My most interesting encounter with copperheads came when I was doing a sweat lodge for my students. I was getting the fire prepared and when I took the cover off the woodpile there were three two foot cooperheads under the cover. I took my rake and caught one and dropped it into my wheelbarrow and then had my ex-partner run the wheelbarrow about fifty yards away and dump the snake. It was not a task she wanted to do, but I was busy catching the other snakes and I needed her help. She was good about it, and I will guarantee she never forgot that afternoon.
I don’t worry about the new copperhead. It shouldn’t bother me and I am sure that is why there are no mice around the house. However, If Claire and Maddie come out for the Owl house project I will have to warn them about the creature. It might bother Claire but I hope Maddie will find it interesting.

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