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.
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.
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.
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.
Where do these watersnakes typically lay their eggs?
The snakes are viviparous, they bring forth live young.
so cool!!