COPPERHEADS LEAVE WINTER DENS THIS WEEK

Well happy Friday the 13th everyone.  I can’t think of a better way to “celebrate” than to point out that copperheads generally leave their winter dens this week.  Yes, it is time to keep your eyes peeled for venomous snakes.  Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster) are normally active from April (now!) through November.  During the winter, they congregate in overwintering sites (Zoinks!).  On warm sunny days you can find them basking to get/stay warm.  But from July through August our daytime temperatures are too hot for them to handle and they become nocturnal to avoid the heat.  I grew up hearing “The only good snake is a dead snake” and it has taken some effort to accept the importance of even venomous snakes in our ecosystem.  Copperheads play an important role by eating mice (mostly) and frogs, lizards, insects, and some other smaller snakes.  So, you could argue that their value is in keeping mice (and the ticks they carry) down.  Copperheads are venomous and you should know how to distinguish between a venomous and non-venomous snake in the Ozarks from a safe distance.  First, venomous snakes have triangle shaped heads while non-venomous snakes are more oblong.  Venomous snakes have pits (holes) used to detect heat.  Pits are located between each nostril and eye.  The eyes have vertical pupils.  Admittedly, looking at the pits and pupils of a snake seems like it requires you to get a little bit too close for comfort.  But you can keep a safe distance and distinguish the head shape.  And for those of you with sticks… best to keep them to yourselves.  There is no need to poke a snake just because you can.