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Project Noah Nature School
Thank you so much for the help with the ID, suzmonk!
Thank you, ForestDragon!
Thank you, James! I ran across that one last night while researching and thought that might be it, but I was sure.
Thank you, k.andrews6! I really appreciate the ID & reference.
Thanks, Ashley. I do believe you might be correct about that ID. The photos I looked through of the Gray Ratsnake look very similar to the one we saw. I just wanted to be certain that it wasn't one of the 4 venomous snakes here in TN. I knew for sure it was not one of the two rattlesnakes, no rattle; but I've never seen a copperhead. After looking through photos of copperheads, though, I'm fairly certain it's not one of those because the color was too far off, as well as the pattern. The only other one is the Cottonmouth, but it's rare for them to be so far east of the Mississippi. Also, other than a few small ponds, there's really no moving water for several miles.
Now, my only concern is that the neighbors or even the kids might kill the snake if they see it rather than the snake harm them. Even though it is illegal to harm, kill, remove from the wild, or possess native snakes taken from the wild in the state of TN, that doesn't prevent people from doing so.
I just noticed today that our American Coots are back at Cane Creek Lake. They have the coolest feet!
Thank you so much, Adarsha B S, for the help with the ID. I do believe the mystery has been solved. I'll update the spotting accordingly. And thank you, DanielHernández and Argy Bee, for the comments. Isn't it amazing how something so colorful can turn into a moth without even a hint of the same colors? That will always fascinate me.
And also, Argy Bee, lightworkerpeace, and nexttogone, thank you for the comments!
Fyn.K, I'm not sure what the small shrub is called where I found it resting. Those bushes look nothing like any of the plants they have listed as a food source on bugguide.net. I do believe that your ID is correct, so I'll update the info. Thank you so, so much, Fyn.K and J, for the help! After photographing it, I returned it to where I found it. I checked back today & it has moved on. Thanks again!
