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photo ©Dylan Edwards

I was actually taking pictures of the tree itself, which is a rather striking dead tree by the pond (though it has since collapsed), when I noticed the snake head poking out of a hole in the trunk. It turns out this snake and other Texas Rat Snakes frequently used this tree as a hide, and Eric and I saw one slithering across the top a couple of days later when we were out on our photo shoot:

photo ©Eric Tilton

Many people I've talked to have expressed fear and concern regarding the presence of these snakes by the pond. Often they mistake these for venomous water moccasins and threaten to kill the snakes for safety reasons. In response to this, I have created an informational page to educate people about these snakes in hopes of easing people's concerns.