Snakes and their hiding places
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (326602)
Rockingham, Australia
February 13, 2022 3:54am CST
In a recent post, Anna (@LadyDuck) commented about moving a bush with a stick to make sure there wasn’t a snake underneath. We once had a property in Western Australia’s south-west. It was a swampy area and a favourite haunt of tiger snakes. A bite from one of these can be deadly and they are also aggressive.
We had the pasture cut and baled and quickly learnt to use a rake to turn the bales on their side before picking them up. All too often there would be a snake hiding underneath.
In the ‘olden days’, hay was also made into sheaves. The photo shows a wagonload of badly stacked sheaves. A few minutes after the photo was taken, the load all slipped to the ground.
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28 responses
@LadyDuck (460237)
• Switzerland
13 Feb 22
I also stump around wearing boots before mowing the lawn, one day a snake slithered through the grass in front of me and I almost fell into the brook to escape. A look at the photo made me think that the load risked to slip to the ground.
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
13 Feb 22
When I was a kid, there were always snakes in our yard. I remember mowing one day and a big snake came rushing at me. I quickly turned the lawn mower around and the snake was gone... Mom wasn't happy about me killing the snake but I thought it was going to eat me! 
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@LadyDuck (460237)
• Switzerland
13 Feb 22
@DaddyEvil - I was too scared, I got my hands off the mower handler, so it stopped, and I rushed out from the lawn. I sent outside my husband to check. We have snakes in this area, the brook runs along our garden, those are not dangerous snakes, but they can bite, they hiss, they scare me!
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@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
13 Feb 22
@LadyDuck We have dangerous snakes here. They're rarely found in the city but I grew up in the country.
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@ptrikha_2 (45612)
• India
13 Feb 22
The picture reminds me of some overloaded trucks we see on our highways as well as overloaded tractors. Things are a bit better now.
So did you had any "troublesome" encounter with any snake?
I think while being in a heavy concrete jungle, we could be slightly away from the nature but on a plus side, we are away from snakes and similar creatures.
It is another matter that we have seen or heard about snakes creeping up in gated societies as well!
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@ptrikha_2 (45612)
• India
13 Feb 22
@JudyEv
So did you use a stick or some other means?
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@ptrikha_2 (45612)
• India
14 Feb 22
@JudyEv
But it is better that snakes stay away from one's house.
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@Juliaacv (48605)
• Canada
13 Feb 22
Snakes are good at finding hiding places.
I do not remember ever seeing a snake in any of the fields that we had when I was growing up.
We used to have about 1 sighting a year when we lived at our old place in the country.
I researched what attracts snakes to your yard in our area, and when I did that I realized that we had done everything so we should have seen alot more then 1 snake a year.
I suppose that the snakes hide to protect themselves under the bales, that way they don't become supper for a hawk.
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@aninditasen (15798)
• Raurkela, India
13 Feb 22
I too have snakes in my garden but they are herbernating in winter. From summer onwards they will start coming out. They stay close to the banana plantation and I don't disturb them.
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@JudyEv (326602)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Feb 22
It's quite possible to live with snakes nearby and for them not to really be a problem.
@mildredtabitha (16087)
• Nairobi, Kenya
13 Feb 22
They also like hiding in holes
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@Sreekala (34312)
• India
14 Feb 22
@JudyEv At Village there must be dry leaves are scatted so if you step on a snake then damn sure it will bite. This kind of deaths happened many times. Usually at night time they are in search of their food. Otherwise snakes are not dangerous, they won't bite without any reason.
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@RebeccasFarm (86981)
• United States
13 Feb 22
Oh dear yes you would have to be very careful there.
I had a house once..yes me..had a house with a lovely big rockery in the front..it had snakes in it.
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@RebeccasFarm (86981)
• United States
14 Feb 22
@JudyEv In summer heat they thrived in it
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@JudyEv (326602)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Feb 22
@RebeccasFarm I can believe it. The rocks would get lovely and warm.
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@Fleura (29266)
• United Kingdom
14 Feb 22
@JudyEv Also I think Douglas Adams, in his book 'Last Chance to See'. I seem to remember quite a bit of detail about all the poisonous animals and how you were bound to die because there was no chance of getting any antiserum in time, even in species where some was available.
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I'll be too afraid to step out the door soon. 
@sharonelton (25424)
• Lichfield, England
15 Feb 22
Yes, you can tell what it's going to do on the picture.
That's another good reason not to go and live in Australia. Spiders, the heat, monsoons, Bush fires and now snakes too! 
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@JudyEv (326602)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Feb 22
@sharonelton You will have to ask the surfers that. I guess they just love surfing.
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@sharonelton (25424)
• Lichfield, England
15 Feb 22
@JudyEv Oh, no! I forgot the sharks! Why do you have surfers when your oceans are full of sharks?!
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@BarBaraPrz (45658)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
13 Feb 22
Yeah, I was gonna that didn't look like a stable load.
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@BarBaraPrz (45658)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
14 Feb 22
@JudyEv Well, I'm not doing it either.
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@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
13 Feb 22
I hate snakes!! I dread seeing one.
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@JudyEv (326602)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Feb 22
I am sure there are many who feel the same as you do.
@LindaOHio (158444)
• United States
13 Feb 22
I'm glad that most of the snakes we see are garter snakes.
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@LindaOHio (158444)
• United States
14 Feb 22
@JudyEv Yes. They just eat insects and grubs and stuff like that.
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Then they might be easier to forget.