{"id":3743,"date":"2014-07-16T13:45:54","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T17:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=3743"},"modified":"2014-07-16T13:57:09","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T17:57:09","slug":"four-reasons-to-appreciate-snakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/four-reasons-to-appreciate-snakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Reasons to Appreciate Snakes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Eastern hognose snake<\/p><\/div>\n

The 14 species of snakes in Massachusetts don’t get enough love and appreciation. So<\/span>, in honor of World Snake Day on July 16, we thought we’d share just a few\u00a0reasons that we should celebrate their presence.<\/p>\n

1. Snakes eat garden pests<\/strong><\/p>\n

Consider yourself lucky if you have DeKay\u2019s brownsnakes in your yard. These small, shy creatures eat slugs and snails. Other species help keep populations of mice and other small mammals in check. Northern water snakes will even eat leeches in ponds.<\/p>\n

2. They come in an incredible variety of colors<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Massachusetts, you\u2019ll find snakes with scales in a rainbow of hues, from grass green to bright red to jet black. Ringneck snakes are some of our most stunning, with bright orange-yellow \u201ccollars\u201d and underbellies.<\/p>\n

3. They have some fascinating behaviors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eastern worm snakes are tiny and smooth, and look much like earthworms. In fact, earthworms are their main prey, and they spend most of their time burrowing underground. Eastern hognose snakes are harmless, but they put on an incredible display when startled: their necks flare out so that they look like cobras, and if that fails, they\u2019ll roll over and play dead.<\/p>\n

4. Some of them are in trouble<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three of our snakes are on the state\u2019s endangered species list, and one is listed as threatened. Poaching and habitat loss are two serious threats. If we appreciate and respect snakes, we can keep these helpful creatures around.<\/p>\n

To read about all of these species of snakes and more,<\/span>\u00a0visit the Snake section on our website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 14 species of snakes in Massachusetts don’t get enough love and appreciation. So, in honor of World Snake Day on July 16, we thought we’d share just a few\u00a0reasons that we should celebrate their presence. 1. Snakes eat garden pests Consider yourself lucky if you have DeKay\u2019s brownsnakes in your yard. These small, shy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[156],"class_list":["post-3743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-snakes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-Yn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9858,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-sublime-snakes\/","url_meta":{"origin":3743,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Sublime Snakes","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Snakes tend to get a bad rap, but they\u2019re actually fascinating creatures that can help control pests like rodents and slugs thanks to their carnivorous diet. Plus, the vast majority of snakes that you\u2019ll find in the Northeast are not dangerous. In fact, of the 14 snake species found in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Garter Snakes \u00a9 Michael Onyon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/09\/1678MichaelOnyon5814_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/09\/1678MichaelOnyon5814_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/09\/1678MichaelOnyon5814_fi.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17078,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/how-to-tell-a-garter-from-a-ribbon-snake\/","url_meta":{"origin":3743,"position":1},"title":"How to Tell a Garter from a Ribbon Snake","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"September 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Sitting on a rock in the hot sun is a yellow-striped snake soaking in the sun. With only a glance before it slithers away, it\u2019s hard to determine what type of snake it was. The yellow lining is a feature on both Eastern Garter Snakes and Eastern Ribbon Snakes. So\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/08\/ribbon-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/08\/ribbon-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/08\/ribbon-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/08\/ribbon-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14203,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-gutsy-garter-snakes\/","url_meta":{"origin":3743,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Gutsy Garter Snakes","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The most widespread of all snake species in Massachusetts, the Eastern Garter Snake can frequently be spotted out sunning itself on rocks and logs in sunny forest clearings, grassy meadows, backyards, and in freshwater habitats. While garter snakes are basically harmless, they may release an unpleasant-smelling secretion when they are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Garter Snake \u00a9 Larry Manning","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/1956Larry_Manning14097.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/1956Larry_Manning14097.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/1956Larry_Manning14097.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/1956Larry_Manning14097.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11263,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-garter-snakes\/","url_meta":{"origin":3743,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Garter Snakes","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), one of the most commonly seen snakes in Massachusetts,\u00a0is also the official state reptile. 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While there are very slight differences in appearance between the two species, it can be nearly impossible to tell them apart by just looking at them.\u00a0The Eastern cottontail\u00a0was introduced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9 Susumu Kishihara, Photo Contest Entry 2013","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/07\/161SusumuKishihara7774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/07\/161SusumuKishihara7774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/07\/161SusumuKishihara7774.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3743"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3754,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743\/revisions\/3754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}