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It’s In Your Nature: Snakes just another part of natural world

Published May 24. 2025 07:14AM

Some readers of this column have complimented my topics but have also stated: “I don’t like when you print pictures of snakes.”

I’m sure you’re aware of my passion for birding, observing white-tailed deer and getting out there to see, and sometimes find, the unexpected. I can’t say that I love snakes, but I won’t kill any snakes intentionally.

I bet 99% of us would initially “jump back” if they lifted a board and were greeted by a resting, coiled snake.

I, at one time, reacted differently when I encountered them. Now I try to find different species to photograph and/or observe. There are 16 or 17 different species that could be found in the Times News area, and I have seen nine of them.

Just two weeks ago I wanted to find a black phase rattlesnake, and after birding and snake searching, one indeed oblige me and allowed me to take a few pics. It made my day.

Most of us have probably encountered the most common and least aggressive, the garter snake. They could be found in some of our small towns, in fields or forests and woodlots. When nature snooping, I can’t resist lifting a board, flat stone or scrap piece of metal to see what’s hiding beneath.

If I find a snake, it’s either a garter or a ringneck snake. The later isn’t our smallest snake, but the largest I’ve seen was only about 15 inches in size. A few garter snakes may reach 24 inches. Ringneck snakes and the milk snake have been found in basements, especially those that have stone or old masonry walls. A former co-worker found a ringneck snake in their basement many years ago.

Milk snakes, in particular, are often found in farm buildings, and we should be glad they are there. Milk snakes’ chief prey is mice.

Milk snakes may be the most unfortunate nonvenomous snakes. Even though all are protected under regulations set by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, a few people won’t hesitate to kill a northern copperhead or a timber rattlesnake. The milk snake, even though quite different from a copperhead, does get killed by being misidentified as a copperhead.

In my classroom days at Lehighton Junior High, a few dead milk snakes made it to my classroom through a seventh grader whose “grandpa” just killed this copperhead last night.

Let’s take a look at some local snakes from my files of wildlife photos.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Which one of these could not be found in the Times News area? A. Eastern kingsnake; B. smooth earth snake; C. Northern redbelly snake; D. ribbon snake.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: A young opossum is called a joey. (Not surprising since they are a pouched mammal like the kangaroo.)

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com

Maybe the hardest to ever find is the Eastern smooth green snake. It is also one of the two most docile and least frightening to even those who recoil from snakes. BARRY REED/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS
The Eastern hognose snake can be identified by the upturned snout and its antics. When threatened, it acts cobra-like for a minute or two and then proceeds to roll on its back and play dead in an Oscar-worthy way.
After eating a small mouse, this Eastern garter snake shows the characteristic bulge all snakes show after swallowing their prey whole. Snakes’ teeth are not designed for chewing but for holding and then swallowing.
In my opinion, one of the prettiest of our snakes in the Eastern milk snake. A true farmer’s friend, they feed almost exclusively on mice.
Once called the banded water snake, the northern water snake, in my opinion, has the nastiest disposition. It will try to slither away, but if threatened will coil up and strike at you or a predator. I saw a few water snakes bite people after they were provoked.
A male northern water snake rests atop the larger female as they bask in the warm sun on a cool May morning. As in birds of prey, female snakes are larger than the males.
I found this black rat snake warming itself on the edge of a local gravel road. They are the largest local snakes and may reach nearly 100 inches in length.
While looking for rattlesnakes in May 2024, I found another black rat snake sunning. Note the round pupil, indicative of all of our nonvenomous Pennsylvania snakes.
The black racer may attain about 5 feet in size. It can be distinguished from the black rat snake by a less-bulky body, a bit more glossy look and its head-out-of-water appearance as it “races” across a meadow. Both are excellent climbers. Note: It does not constrict its prey as its scientific name, Coluber constrictor constrictor, falsely implies.
Another mostly black snake is the northern ringneck snake. It can be easily handled when found under a board or flat rock. It never grows very large; maybe 15 inches long.
One of the two venomous snakes found here is the northern copperhead. It prefers to lie undetected in its rocky, hillside habitat. The best identification is indeed its copper colored head and somewhat triangular head shape.
I had two objectives May 2 on a Penn Forest Township hike: to find as many warblers as I could and to try to find and photograph a black phase timber rattlesnake. It wasn’t a great birding day, but this hefty black phase did make my day.
Tags:
Barry Reed, Environment