Snakes in Holes

When the weather gets hot I sometimes see snakes taking refuge in holes at the base of the bald cypress and dawn redwood trees in our Wetland. The snakes often lie peering out of the holes.

This northern water snake is both cooling off and waiting for prey to come along.
This northern water snake is both cooling off and waiting for prey to come along.
There are three snakes in this image.
There are three snakes in this image.

The snake sightings have increased over the past several weeks. One of the snakes that I regularly see is a large female. She is getting larger by the day. All of the snake pairings that I witnessed this past spring seem to have paid off, she looks to be carrying a heavy load.

A closer look at our pregnant female water snake.
A closer look at our pregnant female water snake.

It’s said that these water snakes can have  9 – 45  young (they are viviparous – live bearers). I’d wager our female is carrying the upper limit.

Here’s the other two snakes in the above image.

Two water snakes peek out from the base of a dawn redwood.
Two water snakes peek out from the base of a dawn redwood.

The trees in the above photos are located just at the bottom of the boardwalk in Explore the Wild. There’s a group of dawn redwoods and bald cypress where the boardwalk makes a sharp right and then a sharp left as you descend the 700 foot walkway. Look over the railing on your right side and you may get a glimpse of one of these water loving reptiles.

3 responses to Snakes in Holes

    • Greg Dodge says:

      The snakes are viviparous, they bring forth live young.

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