Mountain Laurel and Snakes

Looks like the Mountain Laurel will be great this year everywhere except where the Forest Fire burnt it, between Fahneystock, Mine Hole and West Rim. It seems like it has been a long time since I have seen this much color this soon on Cedar Mountain.

The Morris Rattlesnake Roundup is this weekend and they had quite a crowd today. I don't know whose child this is touching the rattlesnake, but I do know my daughter would have nightmares for weeks thinking about it.

This little girl had no fear petting the snake while
the bitting end was inside a plastic tube. They don't get the snakes out much, but when they do it is a treat for those who would never get such a chance to interact with these amazing reptiles. The snakes are injected with a microchip and their length, sex and other information is recorded. They are then released back where they were captured. Many times the same snake makes repeated trips to the festival in following years.

A prize is awarded for the largest yellow-timber rattler and the largest black-timber rattler. In the wild these snakes avoid people and for the
most part avoid confrontation. This does not mean that people aren't bitten. In fact, last year, a man in the Slate Run area was bitten when he moved a skid a rattlesnake was under. He walked a mile before being taken to the hospital and faired fine.

The last picture is the case they keep the snakes in for people to see as they visit the festival. Next weekend is the Mountain Laurel Festival for those who prefer a different kind of beauty. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.