a.k.a. Western Rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis
I was following a little bird, trying to get a good picture as it flitted from tree to tree. It was a pretty nice late summer or early fall day, I can’t remember which. I would guess it to be 2013 or so. But grasshoppers kept flying around, broadcasting their little sound as they did so. There were a ton of them that day and that little bird was refusing to get his picture taken.
As I took a couple of steps backward. It occurred to me that one particular grasshopper was broadcasting way, way too long. I froze in place. It just kept sounding. I very slowly moved my head, then my upper body… I spotted it. It was a coiled rattlesnake and it had definitely given me fair warning. I’d guess stretched out it was somewhere between 3 to 4 ft long. Having worked with reptiles as long as I did, I knew this one was plenty far enough away that I was not in striking distance.
So I cautiously headed its way and it backed up! The pictures I took were blurry until I got the one on the left.
Later, I got Joe and took him to see the rattler under the rock. You know what’s scarier than finding a rattlesnake under a rock?
Finding TWO rattlesnakes under that rock. At first, I thought I’d found a single one, colored like a bullsnake being lighter in the center and darker on both ends. But binoculars revealed 2 rattles in the mix there.
Weather rolled in and we had a torrential downpour. Afterwards, we went to see if we could get any better pictures of the snakes. …
You know what’s scarier than finding two rattlesnakes under that rock?
Finding NO rattlesnakes under that rock….
Everybody freeze. 😉 If you thought we were cautious on the way out to rock, you should have seen us on the way back!
4 Things You Need to Know about Prairie Rattlesnakes
Keep your eyes open and no ear buds or hoodies from early spring through late fall. Keep in mind that they do sound remarkably like a flying grasshopper. Also, please take a buddy and a 2-way radio out with you.
La Casa Del Sol 