I haven't seen any snakes this year...yet. We don't have possums or armadillos. We do have raccoons, squirrels, voles and chipmunks. The battle has been on this past spring with the voles after finding a tunnel under Palace Garden Beauty. Even watched one run right in front of Cyrus(Great Dane) as he was lying on the lawn. He just gave me a look of "what the heck was that?" So no help there. After catching the voles the chipmunks enlarged the hole to their liking and moved in. Twelve chipmunks later...the have a hart is empty this morning. Fingers crossed that was the end.

Didn't know chickens would go after the snakes. I decided to get chicks this past spring, prepared a coop and pen for them, but in the past two weeks I've let them roam our property thinking they would prefer the pasture with the horse to anything else. They have decided the daylily beds are more fun, following me around and listening to the radio. I've watched them carefully to see if there would be any damage to the plants, but so far they just pick off bugs and dig in the newspaper/paper bag and ground leaf combo I use in my paths.

So I guess no one wants anything to do with my grand snake - my sons 9 foot boa that has its own room at my house?

Poisonous spiders are nasty. Last summer my son in law had a black widow bite ( marine living in NC at the time) and 2 years ago my son had a brown recluse bite while at National Guard summer camp in central Wisconsin. Both spent time in the ER.

I am not aware of poisonous snakes around here, but the family cottage in Western PA has both copperheads and rattlesnakes. Those photos show snakes much smaller than what I am used to seeing - which is a good thing!

My problem here is squirrels. Nasty nasty squirrels. The other problem I have is my shepherd/ lab - she sees me digging in my garden, and I think she is trying to help I can be on the other side of the flower bed, and when I work my way around, I find a nice deep hole.....

I agree with Jan, squirrels are my biggest problem. I have one I want to strangle. He's dug up my melons numerous times, rolled all over my flower & veggie seedlings in my patio greenhouse & is perpetually pelting the garden with half eaten apples from my apple tree.

My next biggest problem is skunks. I'll take a possum any day over a skunk! They are digging up everything I plant in my front yard. They just love freshly dug dirt. I am not looking forward to planting (& replanting) bulbs in the Fall.

Have you tried sprinkling a little milorganite around? It seems to work for me in my raised beds. Before I started using the Miloganite, the squirrels were digging holes everywhere. Now they stay pretty much out of my flower beds. I do have to reapply after rain or once a week as the smell wears off. But I just use a handful that I toss all around.

Thanks for the idea Becky! I just got some Milorganite so I'll try it. I just need to remember to reapply it after our afternoon thunderstorms.

needrain said:I suppose this thread is headed for the sandbox, but I really think for some of us these are part of gardening just like weeds. They are for me living in the country, for sure. I would note that after being on and around this property for 60+ years, it has been extremely rare for a rattlesnake to supply a warning rattle. That generally occurs after you have disturbed them directly. If you accidently step on one that is quietly trying to stay invisible, the warning rattle is likely to come after the bite. It always makes me nervous when I hear people say they safer than copperheads because of a warning rattle. That's just not true most of the time and rattlesnake bites tend to be more dangerous than a copperhead bite. I have both here and occasionally both are in and around my plants, so I try to pay attention.

See the rattler wrapping at the bottom of the container? I walked by this for about 3 hours before I saw it there. The path goes right by the posts defining the bed.


This copperhead, which I find more often in the beds, is just resting quietly on the top of the post, but I saw one resting in an iris stalk once.


Smoothing out the damage from an armadillo is when a copperhead nailed me. I know to look and I was, but they really are hard to see and it had sort of snuggled under the loose dirt the armadillo had stirred up. I had trouble finding it even after it bit me. It wasn't a serious bite and I didn't have any serious repercussions, but it cost me a night in the hospital anyway. So life that adapts or even prefers the garden environment is some gardeners should be familiar with. Being allergic to a wasp sting would be every bit as dangerous as the snake bite. Also here are Black Widow spiders who are bad housekeepers making their webs look abandoned. You'd think I'd know that by now, but it still fools me sometimes and I'll use my hand to clear it away. They are particularly fond of stacked stones - and so are the scorpions which only have a wicked sting.

wow I hate Texas

We have all that in MO I guess too, well I don't see scorpions in these parts... but I guess just seeing it ALL in one paragraph pushes me over the edge

Don't use too much! Just a sprinkling handful tossed around. You don't want to over-fertilize your plants.

I have voles and squirrels. Damn vole killed my wisteria. I was able to pull the 6yo wisteria out of the ground and not one root was there. Just a stub, also killed a lupin. Am so mad.
There are chemically made worms you can buy at most hardware stores. You place down a tunnel. I do know these work, as it has killed moles in the past. But this is the first year we've had voles.

We have lots of the critters mentioned but the ones that I have problems with the most are chipmunks, squirrels & voles. Moles have tunneled through the back bed this year. But chipmunks are a battle every year!

This year I have bees nesting in the ground in 2 different places. Has made it impossible this year to get much done.

Copperheads here but have not seen any in our yard. Have possums & skunks but they do not dig in my beds.... yet! Did have a bunny this spring. I have had neighbors cats using my beds..... disgusting!!!