80AcresOnline

If you’re one of the people who hate and fear all snakes, this might be a moment to remind yourself that this one is merely an image in the computer, as well as a small, slender, agile reptile that is harmless to us humans.

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Plains Nipple Cactus, Coryphanta missouriensis, is a small, inconspicuous ground-hugging cactus that almost disappears (shrinks a lot) after between flowerings.   Unless you know where you have a patch, you do not see it then.  But when it flowers, it opens elegant little flowers with long, pointed petals.  The lacy pattern of the spines on the plant, and the starry shape of the flowers, makes this one of the spring joys around here.

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Though we have some large snakes on the place, most of the snake species are small, and we’re lucky if we get a glimpse of them.   This little gray snake with the black head and orange “collar”  is barely a foot long and skinny as a pencil–easy to miss, if it weren’t that we’re in severe drought and the grass to hide it just isn’t there.

This is a Prairie Ring-necked Snake, Diadophis punctatus arnyi, a shy little creature that sometimes freezes long enough to have its picture taken.

Prairie Ring-necked Snake

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