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.
