We've had a few reptile encounters this summer that have been lots of fun! The first one was at the beginning of June. One afternoon, our dog, Ginger was looking out the window and started barking. Hubby took a peek out and saw a big snapping turtle out in the yard! He and the boys went out to look at it and saw it heading towards the stream a while later.
The next morning, I was out working in the garden. Hubby came out to keep me company and saw the turtle in the garden area! It was at the fence line near the beehives and it looked like the turtle had gone completely around the garden following the fence. Hubby and the boys grabbed a wagon and some buckets. They were able to relocate the turtle and again made sure it went off into the woods heading for the stream.
Our turtle story didn't end there! The next morning, Laura was shoveling compost from the pile in the driveway to move out to the garden beds when she shoveled out some white ping pong ball-looking turtle eggs. We put them back into the compost pile. Laura finished moving the compost, leaving behind the eggs and what we hope is enough compost to keep them insulated. Assuming all goes well for the eggs, we expect them to hatch sometime in September!
Our next reptile encounter happened just yesterday. Laura and I had been putting cardboard down in our walkways and then covering it with mulch to help smother the weeds. Laura had just left, and I was finishing up placing the last of the cardboard for the day. The cardboard was out in the grass and had been there for a few days. I lifted up the corner of it and saw the long slender body of a snake! I was shocked, to say the least. I quickly stepped back, wondering if the snake was dead because it wasn't moving. I hadn't uncovered the entire snake. Part of its body, including the head and tail, were still covered. Had I stepped on it earlier in the afternoon when I had been moving other cardboard from the pile? But, that didn't seem too likely.
I went inside and asked my younger two boys if they wanted to see the snake. Of course they did! We walked out there and I carefully moved the entire piece of cardboard. The snake took a good look at us, trying to figure out what we were going to do. My youngest asked if he could put the snake on a stick so he could get a closer look at it. My middle son wondered aloud if it was venomous. That slowed his younger brother down a bit. I double checked that the snake was indeed a garter snake and was not venomous. At that point, the snake had gotten tired of all the attention and slithered off into the woods.
I've really enjoyed seeing all the wildlife around. I don't mind the snakes and turtles. They don't eat our veggies like the squirrels, rabbits, and other animals do. In fact, I'd be quite happy to see my snake friend again. It eats lots of garden pests. It's welcome to come over any time!