There are TOO copperheads in my neighborhood!

Friday night the kids and I went to dinner in Southern Village with my friend David. We tend to walk when we go to Southern Village (it's only a mile); Grace uses it as an excuse to ride her scooter, and Peter uses it as an excuse to hang with me and chat about nearly anything (my taciturn son basically has three times that he tells me about his world: when the two of us are alone, usually at a doctor's visit, when we walk to Southern Village, and every so often will come into my room before bed to chit chat).

Anyway, so Peter was in chatty mode, and was telling us that, so says neighborhood lore, there's a copperhead in the neighborhood, specifically in our yard. Now, this wouldn't surprise me too terribly much; I have by far the most wooded back yard in the neighborhood, and I've sort of cultivated it; I like a buffer between me and my neighbors, especially in the back where the deck and hammock are.

David, on the other hand, didn't seem to think that there would be a copperhead in my yard without a watersource; a real one, like a runoff stream, not just a marshy area (which I do have).

I don't really know the habits of copperheads, other than if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone, so I didn't argue the point. I CAN, however, identify them, due to a terrifying indicent when I was a camp counsellor involving a dozen 8 year olds, a lack of judgement on my part, a dirt road, and a copperhead (no one got hurt!).

So Sunday, I finally got around to cutting my grass; it hadn't needed cutting for weeks because there was no rain, then we got several days of rain, and suddenly it needed cutting BADLY!.

While I was out cutting, I saw what looked like a twisted little stick by the curb. On closer examination, it was this:

Yeah, it's kinda hard to tell from that picture (I've GOT to get a real camera and stop using my phone), but that's a little baby copperhead. Granted, he's dead and fried, but a copperhead nonetheless.

So, it looks like I DO have copperheads in my yard! Though, apparently, one fewer than I used to....