A close up of Scotch Broom in bloom in my back yard May 2008.
I decided it was time to take them out and next year I will plant some shrubs and other sorts of plants in their place that the birds will find even more attractive. Unfortunately this is not proving to be an easy decision thanks to how established they are along with our very hard and rocky soil. My 14 year old son volunteered to take them out with the pickaxe and I took him up on it. He feels he gets a good workout when he uses the pickaxe and actually likes to do it. (Ah to be young!)
A few days ago he took out four of them. Today he hacked away another four or five. While removing today’s victims he turned over a rather large rock and found what you see in the picture below.
It is quite ironic that he should find this shell of its former owner today as it was just yesterday I commented on Mrs. Greenhand’s blog concerning snakes. She had written a post explaining why snakes are actually good to stumble upon in one’s garden. I commented saying that I have yet to see any in my garden but I was sure they were somewhere out there. Well low and behold look what my son unearths today! What a coincidence.
I do not know how I would handle stumbling upon the owner of that skin. It is nice to know that it is out there patrolling the garden but I think I am just fine with it remaining out of site. Although my boys might think otherwise!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I think I would freak if I came upon the owner of that skin myself. I know they serve their purpose in the garden, I just don’t want to stumble upon them. My youngest son is 15 and he is my garden helper too, he actually enjoys it.
I KNOW I would freak if I came upon the owner of that skin! I, too, understand how valuable they are in the garden, but I wouldn’t want to come across one either. :-/
PGL & Nancy- I completely agree with you both! I honestly think I would probably scream and have my boys laughing at me if I found the owner of that skin. Did you notice in the picture you can actually see where its eyes were? Creepy.
I guess I’m the odd man out, because finding a snake skin tell me I have a nice, fat, happy snake living somewhere in the garden!
I really like the Scotch Broom – I’m going to check out the link and see if it’s invasive in Kentucky.
A restaurant here in Roseburg grows scotch broom in planters outside. It sure looks pretty when it can’t escape and take over everything!
And I guess I should admit that I at first thought that was a rattlesnake skin, lol! Took me a minute to realize it was just a garter. Those are OK in my book
Mrs. Greenhands- It is nice to know that there is a snake keeping the garden rodent free it’s just I don’t think I’d handle stumbling upon one very well at first. My sons though would probably love to find it!
Lacey- The Scotch Broom is very pretty when it is in bloom. It kind of just looks weedy when it is not. And boy is it invasive out here! It can be found EVERYWHERE. Its pretty to see when they are all in flower but it is pushing out lots of native plants.