I just wanted to share with you all the interesting thing I found while driving down County Road 140 this week. That’s the road that Fannin/Ballpark Road becomes when it crossed 485 in Cameron. I drive there every day, since our ranch is just the other side of Walker’s Creek, for those of you who know the area.
I saw it Thursday when I was driving home, but was too tired to stop. Then I kept forgetting to pull over. Finally, yesterday when I was in no hurry whatsoever, my friend and I pulled over to investigate.
It’s a rattlesnake, judging from the size, and missing its head. My teen companion who had on better shoes looked around for evidence of the head, but found none.
From the way it’s draped, we figure someone put it on the fence as a warning. I used to see (much bigger) rattlesnakes draped over fences when I was a little girl in central Florida. When they’d build new neighborhoods, construction workers would have to be really careful of them. My dad said they put them on the fences as a warning. Other people I’ve talked to say they’ve seen coyotes like that. Ugh.
The thing is, I used to see entire snakes, not skeletons. Where did the rest of it go? Did someone skin it first? How did the vultures, or whoever it was, get all the meat off and just leave the bones just as they were?
Do any of you Master Naturalist friends have any ideas? Please share!
PS: I’d love to blog about YOUR nature sights and finds. Send them to Suna by email, photo, text, or piece of paper. I’ll blog them! To prove it, the next one came from a photo of a piece of paper!
Nature Along the El Camino Real 
Interesting still life photo and a mystery to ponder.
I have seen large catfish heads, dead coyotes, and dead snakes draped on fence wires or attached to posts. I assumed to boast.
Hanging a dead snake on a fence was said to be a way to make it rain. Years ago during a drought I did hang a dead water moccasin that scared me near my porch. I hung it on the yard fence, Went back out later to “admire my work and bravery”. The snake was gone, Obviously I had not killed him dead.
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Such a great story!
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