visitors to texas

[shine]

beware we have blue bonnet security ,

[Mike P]

Haven't see any here......yet.


.

[NTFDAY]

beware we have blue bonnet security ,

You can keep them too.

[johnboy]

I'm not familiar with the various snakes; what is that one?

[NTFDAY]

I'm not familiar with the various snakes; what is that one?

I might be wrong, but that appears to be a diamond back rattlesnake. I encountered a few of them while stationed at Camp Pendleton, California and a Cajun we had in the outfit used to hunt them at night Not bad eating though a bit on the greasy side.

[34_40]

Hope you don't mind Shine.. my eyes aren't what they used to be... 8-)

[Bob Parmenter]

Just to add a layer to this story, this is the time of year these little beauties (the flowers........the flowers) bloom all over the place, including highway sides and centers. All too frequently you'll see folks whip the wheel hard and head for the shoulder presumably to take pics. Even saw one family had their kids rolling around in them..............ruining them for anyone else. Guess not enough of this kind of security detail there.........

[shine]

it is actually against the law to do that too . but seldom enforced. a snake that size will kill a child before responders can arrive .

[40FordDeluxe]

I'm not fond of those slimy sobs. We have them south of Winterset. I found out not in a fun way. My friend whom lives there about died laughing though....

[rspears]

Just to add a layer to this story, this is the time of year these little beauties (the flowers........the flowers) bloom all over the place, including highway sides and centers. All too frequently you'll see folks whip the wheel hard and head for the shoulder presumably to take pics. Even saw one family had their kids rolling around in them..............ruining them for anyone else. Guess not enough of this kind of security detail there.........

Do I remember right that Lady Bird Johnson fueled the Blue Bonnet explosion, providing wild flower seed to school kids, and encouraging them to scatter them along the highways and farm to market roadways, and to other states, too?

[Bob Parmenter]

Sounds right Roger, she was big on flowers and road "beautification". She was the impetus behind requiring wrecking yards to build high fences to hid the "trash". Of course LBJ planted lots of "seeds" too that later bloomed into deficit exploding entities.....................

[53 Chevy5]

Your guard doesn't bother me too bad but rest assured my wife won't bother your flowers

[shine]

i try to remember to post this every year. you can drive down the road and see 5 cars per mile with kids setting in the flowers for mom to get a pic for facebook. not only do snakes love to hide in them but bees work them pretty heavy too.

[40FordDeluxe]

I'll never forget my mom's youngest brother took my middle brother and I to Texas in 1993. Those fire aunts kicked my butt, more like feet. Those are little dick heads. The almost worst deal of that trip was when my brother grabbed something and drug it out from under a bush and began swinging it like we did to cats....... It was a Copperhead. My Uncle whom we were visiting ran out and got him to let go of it mid swing. Uncle John ran over with a spade and decapitated that snake lickity split. Luckily it wasn't his first rodeo because it could have been Nick's last.

[Bob Parmenter]

We've got another one down here that's reportedly got a more dangerous venom than either of the two above, a coral snake. They like to hide in mulch like this, the hedgerow along the back of my lot. Fortunately they have a less effective delivery system than the rattler so boots will generally be decent defense if you not being attentive.