Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Independence Weekend and a little Freedom...for my native critters

I took an extra day off for the Independence Day weekend and it was a glorious break! We steered clear of the crowds and still managed to see some fireworks. But mostly we kayaked, fished, crabbed, snorkeled, swam, and had refreshing water fights. It was a wet, hot relaxing 4 days off.
Speaking of water, one critter that I've noticed patrolling the creek behind the house lately is a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon). I'm lucky that my neighbor's kid has an insatiable curiosity that compels him to check my minnow trap every five minutes. Otherwise I may have lost my serpent friend. Now, I also check my minnow trap every five minutes! I mistakenly refer to it as the Eastern watersnake in the video.