Photo Credit: Kathleen Scavone
“As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more mysterious.” Albert Schweitzer
Take even a short walk, and you’ll quickly find out how much there is to learn. A scientific WOW can be had at every footstep. For example, on a recent hike at Boggs Forest, there were two species of native manzanita, and one of them surprised us with vivid red, oblong growths on many leaves, which we assume were some species of gall! Jane Goodall said, “There’s so much mystery. There’s so much awe.” But this column is about snakes!
Snakes, organisms that are much more complex than merely legless reptiles, live in most habitats on Earth, with about fifty species in California. The amazing biodiversity of our state allows for this striking (no pun intended!) number of slithery critters. Many California snakes are harmless, but I always use caution and look from a distance, no matter the species.
Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. We know how to listen for the sound of its warning rattles, but also take care to watch your surroundings carefully. Look before you sit on a stump or log. Take care not to reach your hand beneath a rock where you can’t be sure there’s not a snake. Its thick, non-glossy pattern is a give-away that it’s definitely a rattler. Look for a triangular head that is larger than its neck. If you see a rattler, the Cache Creek Conservancy recommends using the SNAKES acronym: “Stop immediately if you see a snake, Never attempt to catch or disturb a snake, Always report snake sightings to others on the trail, Keep your distance, Emergency call 911, and Stay calm.”
In her book, California Snakes and How to Find Them, Emily Taylor explains some of the backyard snakes I’ve encountered in south Lake County. She explained how our native California snakes have coexisted with Indigenous people for millennia. She learned from anthropologists who recorded oral histories that there are numerous practices and beliefs among the differing groups regarding rattlesnakes. Some northern California Pomo, Taylor explained, used rattlesnake fat to treat illnesses such as consumption or maybe tuberculosis. Pomo, and others she went on, like the Shoshone, Diegueno, and Luiseno, believed that rattlesnake bites occurred as punishment for various reasons or infractions. In times past, as now, differing cultures have an aversion to snakes, while others consider them sacred.
CaliforniaHerps.com, a great website that studies reptiles and amphibians, described the Forest sharp-tailed snake I was privileged to see one day while observing the greenery of shoots and vegetation that awakened into the annual frenzy of spring-into-summer. This slim, non-poisonous snake frequents damp, forested areas as well as nearby grasslands. That’s why I saw one by the creek. Aptly named, they do indeed possess pointy tails and are usually smaller than a foot in length. Usually light tan to grey in color, they mate in spring and lay their eggs in summer; however, the eggs don’t hatch until fall. When the heat of summer dries up their habitat, they coil up and burrow deep into the soil to await more moist conditions. Their burrowing habit caused people to believe that these were rare snakes, but they are actually quite common. In fact, they can often be found congregating in groups of ten or more!
Another beautiful snake I have spied is the ring-necked snake. Also aptly named, this species has a pretty red-orange band around its neck. This species lives a lot of its life under rocks, boards, or logs. Most riparian habitats and grasslands hold ring-necked snakes. If disturbed, a ring-necked will coil up its tail to display its colorful red-orange underside, which is the color Mother Nature often shows to warn of danger or toxicity. This species can kill its prey with venom that is harmless to people. Their prey includes frogs, lizards, insects, and salamanders. Females lay eggs in summer, with mini-hatchlings arriving in late summer.
Summer isn’t complete until you see a Pacific gopher snake! But wait, I love to spy on beautiful California king snakes, striped racers, and water snakes too! The Pacific gopher snake can get huge at about three feet in length. The snake has brownish patches set off by a tan background. These snakes often resemble rattlesnakes and can startle you. Gopher snakes use this mimicry to aid in self-defense. Gopher snakes do not have rattles, but they will shake their tails. Also similar to rattlers, gopher snakes are carnivorous, consuming small mammals, lizards, and birds.
As California is famous for its diversity of native and other cultures, climates, landscapes, flora and fauna, we can add snakes to the multiplicity of what makes California and Lake County unique.
“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”
by William Shakespeare
Expand your perception as you meet life in all of its shimmering or even slithering forms. It’s often a matter of getting out of our own heads for a bit, while we do nothing more than look about for a chance to experience realms of wonder.
