Water snake
May 17th, 2012I was fishing from the shore just below the cabin recently (and got only one strike, which I didn’t hook) when I saw this little head pop up from the water near my feet. At first I thought it was a frog, which are common enuf near the shore. But as I looked at it more carefully, I saw that it was a snake.
Balancing the fishing pole in one hand, I managed to extract the camera from my pocket with my other hand and zoom it all the way in to take the picture you see above. No, it’s not the best picture I’ve ever taken, but it does the job.
Then I made the mistake of trying to step closer, and the snake glided away just below the surface of the water. It was clearly a snake, and I hoped I could get a decent picture of it, but I was too slow. I expected the snake to move to the shore and then slither into the tall grass, but it did the opposite, not only heading out toward the center of the lake but diving as it went.
Back at the cabin, I tried to look up what kind of snake I might have seen. I didn’t get to see its markings very well, but there are several harmless water snakes that are native to Missouri.
Later I went swimming, entering the lake at the very place where I’d had this encounter. Among my destinations that day was Danger Island to inspect the pines we had planted there. (Must visit as soon as possible to cut the scrub away from them and get them some sunlight!)
As I walked down the side of the island to re-enter the lake, I saw another snake slither into the deeper water. Life abounds.
















