Massasauga
Yesterday afternoon I mowed the front portion of our lawn next to the sidewalk and adjacent to the flowerbed where resides a number of tall plants that are in the last stages of color and vibrant life. As is my wont, I failed to clean up the sidewalk or the flowerbed after putting away the mower. And so it was, in the early evening as I was relaxing with a cocktail to rejuvenate my spent energy, and the Missus was sweeping the sidewalk that I had managed to ignore, she came rushing up to me, camera in hand, and asked did I want to see a snake, a Massasauga. Of course, I did.
I arrived at
the sidewalk just in time to see the aforementioned snake strike at my trusty
roommate who was just then creeping close to the coiled rattler. The strike did
no damage since the critter was so small – seemingly, a baby massasauga. While
I watched she bent closer for a better picture and the little devil tried again
with the same results. Apparently, the size of your opponent is of no concern
to a baby rattler.
Her second
attempt with the camera included a close-up photo of the snake’s triangular
shaped head and his regular diamond pattern flesh that had no interruptions in
color or shape from head to tail. The only thing missing was a distinct rattle,
but that may have been because the pose the animal struck prevented a clear
view of his nether region or because it was still a baby. After another moment, the snake finally had enough
and he slithered back into the tall flowers, presumably to re-occupy his hiding
spot.
Since my
afternoon libation was beginning to be diluted with the necessary ice-cubes,
the Missus and I retreated to the deck to study the photos she had taken. After
a close look at the results and a quick consultation with Mr. Google, we
concluded “there is no possibility of refutation or doubt,” * that the little
creepy, crawly, snake was indeed a massasauga, Michigan’s only rattler and only
poisonous snake able to inflict harm and possibly death to a human by his
venom. Of course, the last is only true if one exempts those who are likely to
die of fright after an encounter.
Michigan is
one of the regions where massasaugas continue to have a tenuous hold on life.
This snake is the victim of ignorant and frightened humans who seem to believe
the only good snake is a dead snake, hence its numbers have been steadily
declining in the wet areas where it feeds on crayfish. This one is the 4th
of its type that we have spotted in our neighborhood over the past 20 years.
Since they are so rare, this must mean that we have a colony somewhere nearby …
or maybe we are just lucky. In any event, it seemed a treat to us to see such a
rare and beautiful example of nature, despite his animosity at seeing us.
*A common refrain from my Geometry teacher of 60 years ago, Mr. Broman, when we finished a ‘proof’ in our geometry class.
I hope you are having a nice fall,
Bill T
