I’ve lived in the Southern California foothills for more than 40 years, and I’m never sure what creature I’ll encounter on my evening walks with my husband and dogs. Our neighborhood is safe, but we share it with wildlife–some friendlier than others. They appear in our yard or show up on the street. Through the years, we’ve seen deer, coyotes, rats, snakes, scorpions, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, bunnies, bobcats, and owls.
In the evenings, I carry a flashlight to warn them of our approach, especially after one of our dogs was skunked late one night. Recently, I’m glad I had a light. On our usual route up the hill, my husband, Don, noticed what he thought was an oil slick under our neighbor’s new vehicle. On closer inspection, he discovered a snake lying on the ground and jumped back.
I shined the flashlight on it, saying, “Don, its markings look like those of a rattlesnake.”
“But it doesn’t have a pit viper’s head or rattles,” he responded.
The snake just lay there, staring at us. We gave it a wide berth.
“Call the neighbors and warn them,” Don urged.
I tried not to alarm them during their weekly family dinner. The snake lay under the grandparents’ auto, and the grandma decided to turn its appearance into a teachable moment. She brought her three grandsons outside to see it. Her wise daughter, the mother of those three adorable boys, called the fire department. The firefighters arrived within minutes, looked at the snake, and declared it a baby rattler, which can be quite venomous. When they attempted to remove it by placing it in a box, the snake grew agitated. One minute it was just lying there, and the next it was being placed in a box. I don’t blame it, but I’m still glad the firefighters relocated the snake.
I prefer not to walk at night, and I accompany him to carry the torch. Who knows what he might walk into without it?