“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work, reporting or approval of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to [email protected].
Snakes!
A perspective from Shannon Thielman
Most of you probably know that the Piedmont of North Carolina habitat is good for snakes, but perhaps you don’t know the details! The most important thing any of us can learn about snakes, is how to properly identify them. Here in Chapel Hill, we have only one venomous snake – the copperhead. They are hard to misidentify: people often refer to their beautiful “Hershey’s kisses” pattern (you look at the dark spots in the pattern, and they are wider at the base than at the top). The babies will have lime green tails for their first year or so. Despite their reputation, copperheads are extremely shy snakes and would very much rather avoid encounters. If it sees you, it freezes and hopes you go away. Most of us pass extremely close to copperheads frequently – their camouflage is top notch, and unless you are threatening it, or accidentally step on it or reach toward it, it will likely not bite you.
Like all other snakes, they do not chase people. They feed on a wide variety of prey – including insects, amphibians, and small mammals. If you have copperheads on your property, it’s because you have suitable habitat for them. Copperheads give birth to live young, and their venom has been used to produce tamoxifen, a common breast cancer drug. Many copperhead bites are dry (no venom is released), but you should always go to the hospital in case of a bite.
The bottom line with copperheads, is to watch where you put your hands and feet. If you have dogs, keep an area of your yard fenced and well mowed, and check the area before letting the dog out. If your cat is your concern – cats are typically more dangerous for snakes than the other way around. Teach your children when they are 2-3 to back away from snakes. Teach your children over 4 to identify the most important snakes, and avoid making them fear snakes. If you see a copperhead and try to kill it, your risk of being bitten goes up substantially. Another possibility it to spray it with water to convince it to move on. Finally, there are many snake aficionados in the area who will come to relocate a copperhead you find. Go to FreeSnakeLocation.com or check out the Free Snake Relocation Directory on Facebook.
As far as discouraging copperheads on your property, commercial “snake deterrent” products do not work in the slightest. Moth balls are not only ineffective, but also illegal and harmful to wildlife. Glue traps are inhumane and indiscriminate. The best possible snake deterrent is to keep grass mowed short and remove piles of wood, tarps, etc. from around your house. You want to remove the habitat for the things they eat. Luckily (from a conservation perspective), copperheads are not considered endangered and seem to do quite well around humans, as long as they are not spotted. (Being seen is definitely dangerous for a copperhead.) They are very important parts of the ecosystem.
Another snake we have here that is occasionally misidentified as a copperhead, is a water snake. There are several species and patterns, but the ones most reminiscent of copperheads have tornadoes instead of Hershey’s kisses. That means the dark spots are wider at the top than at the bottom. You can also tell that this snake is not venomous by its “labial lines” (vertical stripes on its lips) – no venomous snake in the US has those. All water snakes do have them.
Our neighborhood creeks are excellent habitat for this snake, which eats mostly frogs and fishes. This snake is harmless. It does not often appreciate being picked up, and may bite you if you do so – but its teeth have been described as angry velcro. Wash the bite with soap and water and you will be fine. They are also extremely important for their ecosystems, and do not always reside right next to water.
The third most common snake that we have in the neighborhood, is the black racer. These are feisty little buggers. They will eat anything they can overtake (including copperheads). You might see them periscoping through the grass as they hunt for prey. They will probably try to bite you if you try to pick them up, but just like the water snake, other than your fear factor it will not hurt you. Good luck catching one – they are called racers for a reason. They are the ones most commonly trapped in landscaping fabric (which I encourage you to avoid). They can get pretty long, but are also thin.
We also have black rat snakes. They look a bit derpier than the racers. Usually they will not bite if you pick them up. They also get long and are generally heavier than the racers. They will also have the labial lines. If you have rat snakes, you have a rodent problem; the rat snake is helping you. They do not eat copperheads. Rat snakes are climbers – if you ever see a snake and wonder how it got there (like climbing a brick wall), you likely see a rat snake. They will eat an occasional chicken egg if given a chance, but many poultry owners consider that fair pay for their rodent removal services.
Finally, we have smaller snakes such as garter snakes, Dekay’s brown snakes, and earth snakes – but those typically don’t induce terror in people. We do NOT have cottonmouths, coral snakes, or rattlesnakes.
Snakes are critical components of this habitat. If you are interested in learning more, and are on Facebook, I have learned much of what I know from the experts at “Snake Identification: Discussion and Resources” and “N.C. Snake Identification and Education.” Another fascinating page (though again, we don’t have cottonmouths) is “Cottonmouth Acres.” I was terrified of snakes when I first moved here. Now I love them. I hope you can find some room in your hearts for them as well.
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
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