A Snake on the Rocks

Sitting at my desk I spied a black line crossing the stones around our fish pond. It took a moment until I sorted out what I was seeing. At first I thought it was a hose, but we don't have any black hoses. Then it clicked.

A snake!

A Black Rat Snake. And for those keeping score at home this is the fourth species I've seen in the yard in at the past week.

By the time I grabbed my camera it had crossed the stones and was up against the wall. I fired off a few shots and waited.

It did not want to stay on the stones, but it was also wary of me. So I moved off and waited. Eventually it started across the yard.

The proverbial snake in the grass.

It slithered on by and off into woods. (And I headed back into the air-conditioned house.)