Snakes in the Glade

Just about everyone you know (maybe you are included) seems to be afraid of snakes. Some people are irrationally afraid. I guess it is because snakes are that odd long and skinny shape and maybe because some are venomous.

Like most things in nature, snakes are beneficial to us and our environment. They eat rodents, insects, frogs and toads among other things. But even I have to admit that birds eat those things too, and birds are much warmer and fuzzier than snakes.

There are over 30 different kinds of snakes in Tennessee, but there are only 2 venomous kinds found here on the Cumberland Plateau….Timber Rattlesnakes and Copperheads. Regardless of what someone told you, there are no Water Moccasins (sometimes called Cottonmouths) in this part of Tennessee. Yet it seems that everyone who sees a snake claims that it was a Copperhead, Rattlesnake or Water Moccasin. The odds are that it was one of the other 30 non-venomous kinds of snakes. Water snakes, Milk Snakes, Corn Snakes, Garter Snakes, and even Black Snakes are killed by well meaning folks mistaking them for venomous snakes. By the way, it is illegal in Tennessee to kill, harm, or even possess any native snake, venomous or not.

Here is some information about our two venomous snakes and how to avoid trouble with them.

Copperheads can grow to 3½ feet long but most that you will see are smaller. I have seen several around Fairfield Glade…mostly on the roads...mostly dead. The one in the picture to the left was in my neighbor's garage on an eye-level shelf. That will give you a jolt!

One interesting fact is that baby Copperheads have bright yellow tips of their tails...cute! Copperheads are definitely venomous but almost never deadly because of their relatively small size, small amount of venom, less toxic venom and small fangs. It is estimated that in 50% of Copperhead bites no venom is injected. I have read that Copperhead bites are almost never even treated with anti-venom even though it is available.

Timber Rattlesnakes can grow to 5 feet or more but most are 3-4 feet long. They have bigger and more of everything a Copperhead has including more toxic venom. We came across this rattlesnake on a hike in northern Tennessee. He was very calm and just wanted to be left alone.

Rattlesnake bites can be serious, but once again, Timber Rattlesnake bites are rarely fatal. In Tennessee only 7 people have died from snakebite in the last 40 years. In fact, only 12-15 people in the whole U.S. die each year from snakebite (most of those from bigger or more toxic rattlesnakes than we have here). Twice as many people die from bee stings and over 100 people from lightning strikes each year.

Timber Rattlesnakes are not very common around here, but they are here. My next door neighbor Harold found one hiding under a bag of mulch under his deck recently. After a few pictures he herded his visitor back down into the woods making both feel more comfortable.

There are a couple of things you can do to avoid being on the wrong end of a venomous snake. First, most snakebites involve either stepping on a snake or reaching where they are hiding. In the summer, snakes are most active when it is cooler, so watch where you walk, especially at night, even on roads. Snakes are especially active on warm humid nights or after a rain. In the spring and fall they are more active during the day. Don’t reach where you can’t see, like in piles of rocks or bricks or cement blocks, or in wood piles or under boards. If you have a wood pile, just always assume that there is a snake in there.

I have seen Milk Snakes, Black Rat Snakes, Northern Water Snakes, Black Racers, Worm Snakes, Copperheads and Rattlesnakes since I moved here. I always like to see snakes just because they are another interesting part of the nature around us. But at the same time I watch where I walk and where I reach.

So respect snakes and be aware that they are around here….but don’t fear them. Heck, you don’t fear Buicks and you have a much greater chance of getting injured with a Buick on Peavine than you do of tangling with a venomous snake.