More Northern Water Snakes on Shellpot Creek

This has been a banner year (five at once, in the mulch) for Northern Water Snakes in my yard on the edge of Shellpot Creek north of Wilmington. I took a picture of this one basking in the grass next to the driveway yesterday.

I took a video of it as it slithered away to hide under the hostas. Perhaps it doesn't like the attention.

The snakes seem to come out on cool but sunny days and particularly enjoy a rock with many nooks and crannies which is next to the creek but in the sun. I have officially names the rock, Snake Rock, because there has rarely been a time during a sunny day when I have gone over there and not spotted a snake sunning itself on the rock or visible in a cranny in the rock. yesterday I had to stop two neighborhood girls from stepping on one. The kids use the rocks along the creek as a path but these two were completely unaware that there were snakes a few feet from them. I asked them to stop and then warned them. They were calm and then they decided to walk in the yard to get around the snakes.

I don't mind the snakes as I assume they eat mice and moles, which do need to be controlled in my yard, I just don't want to surprise one and get bitten, or worse, have Linus get bitten.

Five snakes on the Shellpot Creek

We gave some rocks by the creek that appear to have a den of Northern Water snakes in them. I assume it is because the rocks get warm in the sun and that is how the snakes get warm on an otherwise windy spring day.

See if you can count how many are in this cleft in the rocks.

This close up (click on the picture for larger) shows at least four heads ( two at the top, one hard to see in the middle, and one at the bottom) though I think there may be more.

Don't forget to include the one that was hiding under the leaves next to the rocks, see its scaly skin in the middle of the picture below.


And one I don't have a picture of in the crack on top of the rocks. Needless to say if I go near these rocks I wear boots and shuffle my feet to give them warning to get away. I only creep quietly to take pictures. I don't remember this many Norther Water Snakes in any other year, perhaps I wasn't paying attention.

Is this a den where the snakes hatched or just a bunch of them overwintering and finally waking up for the Spring? As always a herpetologists opinion would be welcome.