North Carolina is full of beautiful deciduous trees such as oaks, maples, poplars, sweet gums, and of course dogwoods. As things begin to cool off, these deciduous trees shed their leaves. The result of these fallen leaves are piles of dead, dried up leaves. When we rake up our yards, we create piles of leaves that are fun for kids to play in, but can also make a great place for snakes to hide.
Snakes are often found in a variety of habitats found in North Carolina backyards. As temperatures start to cool down in North Carolina, snakes begin looking for places to hibernate. They seek a place that offers both protection and warmth. Common places you will find snakes hibernating include rotted logs, rodent burrows, leaf piles,and even basements.
Can snakes live in leaf piles?
Piles of leaves make a fun place to play for kids of all ages. While playing in a fresh pile of fallen leaves is relatively harmless, if a pile of leaves has been sitting for an extended period of time you may want to make sure that there are no snakes before you allow kids or pets to play in the pile. Both venomous and nonvenomous species of snakes find leaf piles to be desirable homes in the fall before they begin their hibernation. It is best to keep leaf piles away from your home to prevent Snakes from moving from piles to your house as the temperatures continue to drop.
Why Do Snakes Like Piles of Leaves?
A reliable food source is important for snakes. They want to live in a place where they can find plenty of small rodents to feed on. Debris piles of sticks or leaves are a common nesting place for rodents such as mice and rats. This means that snakes are likely to hang out around piles of leaves in hopes of finding their next meal. Snakes will hide in a pile of leaves and wait for a mouse, rat, or other rodent to scurry by.
Another reason that snakes hide in piles of leaves is to protect them from predators. One of the biggest threats to snakes are birds of prey such as hawks, owls, or eagles. Leaves provide camouflage and prevent birds of prey from seeing snakes. In North Carolina, snakes such as copperheads, timber rattlesnakes, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, pigmy rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths have evolved to blend in almost seamlessly into piles of leaves.
Learn More About Snake Removal at Clegg’s Pest Control
Finding a snake, or multiple snakes, at your home can be a startling experience. If you have discovered snakes on your property do not attempt to kill them. Attempting to remove or kill snakes can lead to injury and other risks. Contact the professionals at Clegg’s Pest control. Our wildlife removal experts will be happy to remove any snakes that have found their way into your yard or home. Not only will we remove any snakes currently on the property, we will also make recommendations that will prevent snakes from being attracted to your home. Give us a call or contact us online to schedule a free inspection!
