I almost missed it. This nonvenomous water snake was well-hidden, wrapped around the top of a broken tree trunk which was standing out in swampy water. It was lounging in the afternoon sun, but was undoubtedly well-positioned and patiently waiting for prey.
“Position yourself well enough, and circumstances will do the rest.” ~Mason Cooley
walking on a country road 
He was enjoying the sun. Beautiful. I’m happy you didn’t miss him.
Thanks, Timothy. From a distance it looked like animal scat sitting on the tree stump. I’m glad I could see it clearer through my camera.
I’m not a fan of snakes, but I love the textures and colors you capture with your camera. Works of art.
Thanks, Kathy. I was glad to catch him sitting in the sunlight. God gets the credit for the colors and textures. 🙂
I know God made them for a reason; but like skunks, I can’t understand why! Poisionous or not, just don’t like them. Cool pictures though.
Thanks, Sheryl. I don’t really like them, but they are fascinating to watch. Wasps are what I’ve always wondered God’s reason for creating.
Yes, they are another one!
Good eye, Rebecca. And judging by the opacity of its eye, it’s preparing to shed its skin. The rough tree will help with that!
I had wondered about his eye color. Thanks for sharing that. 🙂
Nice find, Rebecca, and just like I prefer to see snakes—at a distance! It pays to check out those changes in texture our eye discerns but just can’t figure out. I like the quote, too.
Thanks, Ellen. You’re so right about the distance and the textures.
Wow – I would have missed that for sure … when you got to the last photo and I saw how it blended in. But … when I saw it, I probably would have screamed bloody murder whether it was nonvenous or not. I wonder how long the snake was? Great photos Rebecca!
Thanks! We were a good distance from it. I am usually more intrigued by them than scared.
That’s good you’re intrigued and not scared. I am very afraid of spiders and centipedes and I remember going to a museum once that had tarantula spiders in a glass aquarium and I was tapping on the glass knowing it was the only time I would ever do that in my life. I was visiting friends of the family in Puerto Rico and one fell on the car from a palm tree and crawled inside the car and the woman and I took a cab home until her husband could show us the dead spider.
Sounds like a very scary experience. I can see why seeing one would be stressful and bring back bad memories. I feel that way about wasps after a bad childhood experience.
I’ve never been stung by a bee or wasps but have known people who have. Why does God make insects? I’m already thinking about the predicted early ticks and more of them due to the warm Winter. It was a real feel of 10 and 20 mph winds yesterday when I went out – surely that would zap ’em!