Snakes are out in full force right now in Seven Lakes. My friend Jackie Coger was turning on the water faucet by her garden when she spotted what turned out to be a Copperhead!
The copperhead is the most common and widespread venomous snake in North Carolina. Copperheads are the most common venomous snake found in North Carolina.
According to the Carolinas Poison Center, they receive 10 times the number of calls about copperheads than all other snakes combined.In many areas, including most of the larger urban areas of the state, it is the only venomous snake. They’re also the most likely to bite, although their venom is relatively mild, and their bites are rarely fatal for humans.
Copperheads are found in a wide variety of habitats, but they are most often associated with woodlands. Favorite spots are those providing cover as well as some sun for basking, such as woodland edges, rocky south-facing slopes and ivy thickets.copperhead bites to humans and pets are most often reported between May and October.
Of all 100 counties in the state, Wake County has the highest number reported of snake bites.
If you see a copperhead or any poisonous snake in your yard, gather up the kids and pets and retreat to the house immediately! Do not try and kill it on your own. In some areas animal control or the local fire department may help remove the offending critter.
The copperhead is a rather heavy-bodied snake with an average adult length between 2 and 3 feet. It has a light brown, coppery or tan (sometimes grayish or pinkish tan) background color, with strongly contrasting chestnut brown crossbands shaped like an hourglass or dumbbell—narrow in the center of the back and wide along the sides.
