Stories have been in the news recently about wandering alligators.

We do have — and always have had — alligators on Marco Island. Back in the early 1980s, I worked in an office across from Marco Lake. You could hear the alligators grunting and croaking in the lake on a regular basis. And many of my golfing customers would occasionally talk about an alligator taking up residence in ponds at various holes around the Island Country Club. Dogs and cats have disappeared without a trace.

According to Nancy Ritchie — the poor woman must have been inundated with inquiries — all recent alligator sightings on Marco have been on mud flats at low tide in the canals. This means the seawalls offer some protection from them roaming our streets and yards.

I would still be aware when near bodies of water on Marco and heed the advice of the experts regarding interaction with these dangerous creatures should you ever encounter one.

Last year I encountered a baby alligator while mowing a swale at an inland condominium. I spotted what I thought was an escaped, exotic, foot-long lizard. I stopped to get a closer look and when I picked it up I realized it was a baby alligator.

Photo by EILEEN WARD

Eagle staff

A baby alligator in swale at an inland Marco condominium.

Lucky for me, mama was nowhere to be seen. I figured it had escaped the talons of an eagle or osprey that had snagged him for the next meal. I left it there, not wanting to interfere with Mother Nature, and never saw it again. I took pictures and thought you might enjoy them.

Snakes are another feared species we live with on the edge of the Everglades. The majority of snakes are not poisonous, yet people fear most of them as if they were.

Florida has 37 species of non-poisonous snakes and only six species that are poisonous. This means the poisonous ones are relatively rare. One way to tell venomous vipers from non-poisonous snakes are the eyes. Vipers have vertical slits while non-poisonous snakes have round eyes.

The poisonous coral snake is an exception. An old jingle that helps differentiate the coral snake from the non-poisonous scarlet snake is “red and yellow kill a fellow.” If the red rings touch the yellow, beware!

In actuality, there is fewer than one death a year from snakebites in Florida. More people are killed by lightning.

Non-poisonous snake species come in many sizes and colors and are found in most of Florida’s different habitats from the mangrove swamps to dry scrub to the backyard.

Another misconception is that snakes are slimy. In fact, their scales are very dry and clean, composed of neatly joined scales that repel water. Snakes feel wonderful to the touch. If you’ve never held one, I highly recommend it to those who can muster the courage.

Some of the more common, non-venomous species on Marco Island include the Southern Black Racer, which is jet black with a white chin and can grow to be 6 feet in length. The black racer preys on rats, mice, frogs, toads and lizards.

Another is the Southern Ringneck Snake. This is a tiny snake, usually 8 to 12 inches long. It is black or dark grey with an orange or yellow ring around its neck and an orange belly. This is a great snake to have in the garden because its diet includes slugs and snails.

And my favorite is the Rat or Corn Snake. The gentle corn snake is often mistaken for a coral snake due to its red and yellow coloring. This is another large snake that can reach 6 feet in length. Its color patterns can vary considerably from yellow, orange, red or brown and grey. This snake feeds almost exclusively on rats and mice.

In my 20 some years of gardening all over Marco Island, the only venomous snake I have ever seen is the Pigmy Rattlesnake. This is a small snake, usually less than 30 inches long. It is gray with black blotches and there is usually an orange stripe interrupted by black blotches down its back and on the back of its head. It looks very similar to a baby black racer. The baby black racer has the round eyes of a non-venomous snake and is brown and gray without the red on the head and back.

The fact is that most snakes are beneficial and fascinating creatures. They have been so feared and mistreated that their populations are severely diminished in Florida and around the world.

Here on Marco Island we used to have a good population of 6-foot black racers and rat snakes. Now it is very rare to see one at 3 or 4 feet and even the babies are hard to find.

This is not a good thing. We are experiencing an increase in our rat population because we are destroying this valuable natural predator of rats. Snakes rarely venture into a home and only by mistake when they do. The rats, on the other hand, like nothing better than a nice, warm attic to call home.

I’ll take a snake in the yard over a rat in the attic any day.

So the next time you come across a snake, chances are it’s harmless and probably beneficial. So don’t be so quick to kill it. Let our snakes live and grow. They really are beautiful creatures.

As with alligators, snakes are an integral part of our ecosystem and should not be destroyed or bothered unless they become a danger.

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Eileen Ward and her husband, Peter, own and operate Greensward of Marco Inc., a lawn maintenance and landscaping company. Besides completing horticultural courses from the University of Florida, she has a commercial maintenance spray license and is a registered dealer in agricultural products in Florida. To reach Ward, call 394-1413.

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