Copperheads (plural)

We've found that one good thing our dog does is bark to warn us about snakes near the house. She barks all the time though. At a bird. At a squirrel. At a truck passing out on the road. But this bark is a different bark. More of an alarm type bark. It's hard to describe here but we recognize it now. We've heard it a few times lately. Three times to be exact.

The first time was one afternoon when it was just me and our college daughter here. Thankfully she was brave enough to get the hoe out and deal with it. If I'd been here on my own, I would have just watched it through the window from the safety of the house, and wished it to slither away somewhere else. And plug up the hole in the weatherstripping under the front door. The first two photos were taken from inside the house, through the window.

Someone has said that the smaller they are the more venomous they can be. I'm not going to test out that theory.

The second time was at night and the photos weren't very clear. The snake is hovering next to the stone pillar by the water bowl.

And the following morning - the ants had taken over.

And then two days later, all that is left is the skeleton.

And then the third time, I only arrived on the scene with my camera after it was dealt with.