Elaphe Obsoleta

14306We awoke yesterday to find this slithering serpent in our backyard. After a little bit of research, we found that our little friend is called Elaphe obsoleta, or Black Snake. He constricts his prey and is known for his excellent climbing abilities. Of course, being on a seminary campus, a biblical joke had to be at hand: “If he offers you any fruit, don’t take it!” I was little more worried about him taking one of the neighbor kids deep into the forest. We stood outside for about 15 minutes watching Elaphe snake his way along the edge of the houses here and, then, as if horizontal wasn’t good enough anymore, he took to climbing straight up the side of McDowell.

The Latin name of this black snake proves true: “the worn out snake.” You’d be tired too, after scaling the side of McDowell.

We’re not quite sure where he ended up. He’s probably still out there unless a redneck down the street killed him for stew.