The other day, Kindra texted me a photo of a snake on our front porch.
It was longish, black with a yellowish pattern and looked like it was due for a meal.
The implied question in the text was: “What kind of snake is this?”
Looked to me like a king snake, which I quickly confirmed by consulting Google. A speckled king snake, to be specific.
By the time I texted back, Kindra said, the snake had excused itself and eased off the porch and headed toward some weeds.
The appearance of the snake was welcome news.
A few years ago, a king snake named Rex took up semi-permanent residence at our house and cleaned up all the pygmy rattlers that used to hang around in the weeds and woods.
I appreciated that very much and encouraged him to help himself to seconds and have a few for dessert.
He also reduced the mouse population and ate a little of this and a little of that as availabilities occurred.
I raised turkeys back then, and there was an awkward moment when he and I reached for an egg at the same time.
“I have a hoe within easy reach,” I telepathed to him, and he backed up and slithered away. I was happy for him to gorge on mice and snakes, but not the turkey eggs.
Another time I reached for the light switch in the garage only to discovered Rex stretched out on a shelf by it.
That was the last time I saw Rex, and I’ve missed having him around.
We’ve seen a few pygmy rattlers and I am pretty sure the mouse population has blossomed in his absence.
I am not a great fan of snakes in general. My favorites are the ones in another county, but I have come to appreciate their function in controlling undesirable creatures.
As a bonus, Kindra’s maiden name was King, so she gets the honor of having a namesake snake sliding around the grounds. She was less excited about that than I expect, but hey. They can bond later.
So, I celebrate the return of the king snake and the pending disappearance of any remaining pygmy rattlers or copperheads.
So, if you find yourself at our house and notice a king snake hanging around, please accept that he is an honored resident and don’t hurt him Thanks.