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I know copperheads can get in water sometimes, but my house in Chapel Hill is near a creek that we have played in for many years and our house in Boone is right smack dab on a creek and I think I might have seen a copperhead in the creek in Chapel Hill once. Now I have seen plenty of Northern Water Snakes in the creeks and plenty of copperheads other places, but I don't usually see copperheads in the creeks. That's not where they like to hang out. They like the rock walls and ivy and brush piles and the asphalt when the nights start to cool down. I usually see several copperheads here in Chapel Hill (central NC) each summer. I have never seen a copperhead in the mountains. My husband and my daughter have had encounters with rattlers in the mountains, though.
Really great advice from everyone! Thanks so much! Yes, any poisonous snake will be killed on the property by shotgun or shovel. I'm not one to kill critters but in this case I will show no mercy.
Since the property has a water feature in the creek, is that a high enough risk area that we should not let the kids even cautiously play in and around it or is it not that big a deal? I ask because growing up in Kansas I loved exploring up and down stream on creeks and it's one thing we thought was unique about this property that would give the kids a great experience. We are still in the inspection period and I'm not likely to back out over something like this but if having a stream on the property is really more of a detriment than a benefit, it may not be worth paying more for it on this property. It is really nice being able to hear the sound of the stream but.......
I'm so glad I posted this today and am amazed at all the great comments and info I received! We are definitely at peace over the decision but it was good to at least ask so we knew. Thanks again everyone and we can't wait to close on the home and start splitting our time up there.
There are several species and subspecies of 'King Snake', inc Milk Snake and other varieties by region in several states...
Fwiw, most Kings in NC are of the Eastern King species, and don't look like what most people would relate to a coral, but good advice on the Scarlet King vs Coral.
Eastern King of species usually seen in NC, except for Scarlet in far eastern NC shore areas.
Last edited by motordavid; 10-08-2016 at 01:57 PM..
With 36 years living four miles outside Weaverville, I've never been bothered by snakes. I've spent a lot of time outdoors, around woodpiles, up and down creek banks, in the woods and fields. Once I was using my tractor's bucket to spread some mulch around the deck on the north side of our house. I started noticing a lot of little oblong leathery egg-looking things in the mulch. They seemed around two inches long and were all open. I didn't give it much thought until I saw a little snake with a green tail. After I finished spreading the mulch I went inside to look up the snake in our snake book: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia, by Martoff, Palmer, Bailey and Harrison. Sure enough, the green tail is a definite Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix.
I had inoculated the yard with Copperheads. Ick. I did avoid messing around under the low deck there until cold weather but I never saw an adult Copperhead. They like to be left alone and I'm happy to comply.
On the other hand, I had never been aware of Black Widow spiders in my environment before moving to WNC. there are a lot of them. It's good to learn to recognize their small, messy-looking webs. I tend to leave them alone, too.
Poison Ivey is likely to be a bigger problem for you and your family than snakes or spiders. Learn to recognize that in both summer and winter. Learn to recognize Jewelweed, the natural antidote for Poison Ivey. It's super effective if applied within an hour or so of contact. Jewelweed is around in moist places in the summer, often near where Poison Ivey grows.
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