If you are anything like me, you might have a strange love-hate relationship with snakes. On spying one in the yard, you might scream, recoil and dash for the door (which is totally fine, of course), or you might find yourself edging closer, watching in awe at their unusual markings or coloration.
From the whispering serpent of Eden to folkloric tales warning us to mistrust these slippery creatures, we have all been conditioned to mistrust snakes. But, in the very ordinary setting of a backyard, the reality is often far more prosaic. Most are opportunists, arriving where food and shelter line up neatly. They don’t appear in sterile, barren yards – they appear where biodiversity is thriving.
