The spell of desperately hot, dry 100-degree days has been broken by a couple of cold fronts, bringing rain and temps in the 70s and 80s. When the rain finally stopped, wildlife emerged; deer wandering the woods and a young hognose warming himself on the stones lining the driveway. Hognoses wear an enormous variety of colors and have a very unique set of defensive behaviors that include, at one end, playing dead. At the other end of the spectrum is its cobra-like threat that has earned it the nickname “puff adder.”
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Tough looking guy. I’m familiar with copperheads. Not sure I’d want to meet one of these.
This hognose is really docile. We do have copperheads around here (along with diamond backs), so it pays to watch where you put your feet. We were puzzling over today’s snake, wondering if it was a copperhead, but his little shovel nose (found in other photos we took) made him out to be a hognose.
Great photos – like it
Thanks so much! He was a beauty!