Jack Hubley presents "Snakes Alive" at Meadowood Nursery. He holds a harmless black rat snake.
I ponder how my divergent interests fit together. How does passion for local food go with ornamental gardening…. how does being irked about how much fossil fuel we burn as a society mesh with wanting to travel to fabulous gardens in nearby regions. Should I write something about my chickens for a gardening blog? The pieces, often, don’t seem to fit. Or is it that this blog can be many things at once? Kind of like Meadowood Nursery is many things at once
Meadow at Longwood Gardens
As I drove up to Meadowood Nursery to see Jack Hubley’s talk, “Snake’s Alive,” I appreciated undulating meadows punctuated with bright colored flowers. I heard bird songs, I don’t hear in New Cumberland. I pondered at that point… how do snakes fit into a gardening blog… exactly?!?
I missed the first few moments of Hubley’s talk.
Garter snake
But I walked in on his genuine, passionate comments on the biodiversity he has fostered on his own property. He explained that because he doesn’t use chemicals on his property, and has replaced lawn with native plants, he has found that nature camps out. He’s found salamanders and other fun and beneficial parts of what is nature, now, that he has invited them in with – (sorry to steal your slogan Jan, smile ) friendly landscapes.
Don’t worry. I will talk a little about snakes… but let me get this out there first.
All my divergent interests fit together because they all fit under, “nature being nature.” Biodiversity. Interconnection of nature. Undulating meadows at Meadowood please our senses and please the wildlife they serve as home and sustenance for. Local food goes with gardening – at least in the way I hope foster it – because it’s about reverence of soil and plants. Nature.
Who’s had a problem with slugs this year? Everyone, right? Guess what garter snakes eat? Yep. Biodiversity allows nature to monitor itself.
I’m not sure how to foster a friendly feeling for snakes. I have been petrified by them since I was an eight year old farm girl swimming in a pristine clear creek in Indiana. I recall I was pushing my nerve already by seeking out the coolest, deepest water near the tree roots and swimming underwater. Joyously showing off my breathe holding capacity to my younger brothers while swimming well under the surface of the water, I had a face to face meeting with a snake in the water. Coughing water and flailing, I splashed through the creek and whisked my brothers away from the “danger”. Crik dippin’ was never the same for me. I also witnessed my father take a shovel to what he called, “Blue racers.” at least twice. And now I find they are harmless.
One of the few poisonous snakes in PA: the Copperhead
Hubley started his talk speaking to that fear. Why are we so afraid? It’s the venom. And the perception that snakes can harm us. In reality a very small number of snakes in Pennsylvania are venomous. There are 21 variety of snakes in PA. Only 3 are poisonous. Hubley said harmless snakes vastly outnumber the poisonous. In reality, only two species remain that could be a problem. The copperhead snake and the timber rattlesnake remain in wild areas of Pennsylvania. The third species of venomous snake, the massasauga rattlesnake, is about to wink out according to Hubley.
People often confuse other snakes with copperhead. The northern water snake and the eastern milk snake often lose their lives because of mistaken identity. All venomous snakes in PA tend to reside in deeply wilderness areas and avoid conflict.
A nice article that has good info on snakes in PA is on the PA fish and game site.
So like all sentient beings, snakes serve a purpose and need to be respected.
Jack Hubley visited Meadowood to help Jan Getgood with her mission which seems to be many things at once: education about the interdependence of nature, providing native plants, and raising funds for organizations that support nature.
