Once I started seeing water snakes at Cutler Pond, I kept being able to find them. The weather has been a little colder than I think they really like (or maybe I’m just projecting my own feelings) so when it IS sunny, they hang out in sunny spots. I’ve had a camera a couple of times, but gotten some of my best pictures with my iPhone camers. This is my favorite picture, though. Can you find the snake? That’s what it’s like walking and looking for them; they’re less conspicuous than my hazel seedlings. You have to be tuned in to the scaly texture, and then you do find them.
If you haven’t found the snake yet, look at the right edge of the picture, about a quarter of the way up, for the scales. Then follow it left, and eventually find the head a quarter of the way in from the left side and a quarter of the way down from the top. As we looked carefully, we convinced ourselves that there were three snakes together in this little area. Maybe all in this picture, even; I kind of think that black stick in the top right section of the picture is one, and that there are two along the right edge where I told you to start looking.
Here’s a closeup, a few days later. The scales showed up particularly clearly! I tried to get closer to get the head in the picture, but the subject slithered away. I hate when that happens.
