QUEEN OF THE MINT

Late yesterday morning, while skulking along trying to photograph several butterflies which were busily flitting about the sparse, somewhat stunted zinnias growing alongside the front walkway, I glanced down and saw this queen snake curled on the graveled path—practically at my feet!  

The truth is, the end of the snake's tail was so close to the toe of my right sneaker that I actually had to back off  a couple of feet in order to focus and make this image. Which goes to show you how unobservant I can be to my immediate surroundings when I'm fixated on picture-making.

Luckily, no damage was done and neither I nor the near-trodden serpent reacted adversely. Fact is, I like my resident queens, and take pride in knowing they're only found along rivers and creeks with clean waters and a good base of crayfish, their favorite food. Moreover, I was happy to see this near-two-footer—a rather large individual, as most queen snakes seldom exceed 18 inches. 

I withdrew sufficiently to make my shot; the demure queen snake simply watched, tucked snugly under a canopy of chocolate mint. And what a delightfully choice spot it was! Shade, cover, all continually perfumed by a most delicious fragrance. 

Truly a hidy-hole fit for a queen…well, providing some lumbering shutterbug didn't come along and trample you inadvertently.

RETURNING QUEEN

Myladylove discovered this little queen snake when we were giving the yard a spring clean-up Sunday. It's the first snake I've seen this year—and I've been looking, considering the incredibly warm days we've had, many in the mid- to upper-70s˚F. 

Queen snakes, Regina septemvittata, are are small, shy, and completely harmless creatures. If you elect to handle one, about the worst they can do to you is discharge a rather malodorous musk. I picked this one up after taking a few photos; it wasn't exactly thrilled, but wasn't upset enough to give me a shot of stink. As snakes go, they're pretty docile.  

A big specimen might push two feet, but most will measure between a foot and eighteen inches. This one was probably close to sixteen inches, and no larger in diameter than my ring finger. I think their color and pattern is quite lovely. They look a lot like garter snakes, but unlike garters, have dark, ventral stripes. 

A type of water snake, queens are never found far from clean-running streams that have a stone or gravely bottom. That's because they feed almost exclusively on crawfish, which themselves require rocky, clean running water. They're therefore a good indicator species of high-quality water—and speaking as an Ohio stream fisherman, a good indicator of a potentially excellent smallmouth bass stream, since crawfish and bronzebacks are practically inseparable. The queen snake Myladylove uncovered below a pile of leaves in a flower bed, was perhaps thirty feet from the river. 

I was glad to see this first queen of the new year—not only as another indicator of just how far the season has progressed, but because I appreciate and enjoy having queen snakes around. And I'm always happy to know my neighbors have made it through the winter.

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