If you've ever caught a snake in the yard and driven it a few miles away to set it free somewhere "better," your heart was in the right place. But that drive may be the thing that kills it.
A snake knows one patch of ground intimately: where to hide, where to hunt, and where to survive the winter. Drop it into unfamiliar territory and it loses all of that at once.
Studies tracking relocated snakes have found sharply higher death rates, sometimes around 50% higher. The kindness backfires.
The good news is the right move is easier than the drive. Most snakes are just passing through, and if you leave them alone for a day, they'll move on. If one truly can't stay, like one that wandered into the garage, guide it outside and release it into nearby cover at the edge of your property. A few yards is fine, but a few miles can be deadly.
Here's a 2-minute addition most pollinator gardens skip: put a few flat stones in a sunny spot.
Butterflies are cold-blooded. On a cool morning, a butterfly physically can't fly until it warms its flight muscles up, so the first thing it does is find a warm surface in the sun and spread its wings against it like a solar panel.
A flat rock, especially a dark one, soaking up the early sun is exactly that surface. You'll see them parked on it, wings open, charging up for the day.
And it's not just butterflies. Plenty of the small, cold-blooded life in your garden has to get warm before it can get going, and a sun-warmed stone is a free launchpad on chilly mornings, the kind that come more often in spring and fall when pollinators are already short on good days.
So tuck two or three flat stones among your flowers where the morning sun hits first. No upkeep, no cost. Just a warm rock for cold wings, and the pollinators will be using it before you've finished your coffee.
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! ππ¦πΊ
An enormous three points for the Socceroos, thanks to two incredible goals and an amazing performance in goal from Patrick Beach!
π #FIFAWorldCup | June 12 - July 20 | Every Match on SBS πΊ
FED SQUARE IS ABSOLUTELY LOSING IT! π₯π€―
Generations of football fans losing their minds together in the heart of Melbourne. Beautiful chaos.
π #FIFAWorldCup | June 12 - July 20 | Every Match on SBS πΊ
By far the loudest sections... Filled by the #Socceroos from Oz. Absolute pandemonium after Australia's first goal of this tournament. π¦πΊβ½πΉπ· #FIFAWorldCup#WeAreVancouver
Queenie's little joey is settling into life at Australia Zoo. π¨π
With koalas facing ongoing threats in the wild, every joey is a reminder of the importance of conservation and protecting the future of this beloved Australian species.
We can't wait to watch her grow, explore and discover the world around her. πΏ
"Teenage Dirtbag" is 100% autobiographical. Brendan B. Brown (vocals) wrote the song based on his own adolescence on Long Island.
Released in 2000 as the first single from Wheatus, it became one of the greatest anthems of the 2000s and exploded even more after entering the soundtrack of the film Loser.